The Guardians - Season 1
by Yoshumari Korisuno
Summary: Jenny, Helen, Matthew, Olsen and Jack were all freinds that shared the common bond of playing the popular game, Maplestory. Some might even call it a borderline obsession with the game since it consumed even time to do home work. But there are dark times looming ahead for these young people as well as a destiny to save an entire world: what lay ahead for them?
1. Prologue

***Greetings to you of this site. I am new to this site, and I am still learning the ways, so forgive me if I make a few mistakes here and there. I know there are more than likely mistakes here and there, and as I find them I will fix them, so take what you see with a slight grain of salt. Beyond that, Enjoy!***

**Prologue**

Great shadows were cast on the ground by his gargantuan wings and his roar shook the very ground that was beneath his hoof-like feet. Slowly Balrog stepped towards his old friend and master who resurrected the others that had terrorized Ossyria: Pink Bean, Horn Tail, Papulatus and Ergoth all stood below him, The Black Mage. When he descended from the skies above the Sleeping Wood, he raised his arms above his head forcing them down with an ethereal growl, sending black power into the water. The water churned, glowing with a dark color as explosions could be heard from far below the water's surface. Suddenly the water began to bubble and then was swept aside as the giant fish Pianus surfaced, his slightly sagging face looking at the other six that were there. Aran stood watching from a great distance, looking out from behind a tree in the Leafre forest while pulling the handle of his heavy pole arm from the crushed skull of a large skeleton monster, feeling sick from the power permeating the air. The Empress Cygnus and her knights walked up to him, watching the horrifying sight before them unfold with defeat in their eyes; they had all fought for years to prevent this day from ever coming true, but despite their best efforts it happened none the less.

"So, he has risen again." Cygnus said sadly as Chief Knight Mihile came and set his gauntlet on her shoulder.

"There was nothing that we could have done. Once he had resurrected Balrog, all of our powers combined wouldn't have been enough." he answered. A young man, Chief Knight Hawkeye, leaning against a tree off to the side chuckled with a sneer and shook his head.

"That's if you actually tried, Mihile." Hawkeye shot back. Mihile reached for his sword while taking a step towards him but was stopped by the elegant archer, Chief Knight Irena.

"Calm yourself: Fighting amongst ourselves won't accomplish anything. For now we must return to Herb Town and make sure that everyone there is safe." Something from the shadows suddenly appeared, his cloak flowing in the small breeze that followed him as the Chief Knight Eckhart took his black and white mask from his face.

"There is no end to his power. I couldn't even get close enough to him without feeling terribly sick to find out who it was that set him free." He said, watching in shame the events unfolding before them.

"Despite our best efforts, the hope for our world has become null." Oz surmised sadly, holding onto her staff since all the strength that she had left in her knees was gone. Being the youngest of the Chief Knights, things affected her more than the others. Aran placed a hand on Oz's head, and shook his own while his daughter Lillianne came up behind him, panting and heaving while wiping the blood from her heavy halberd, his eyes darting back and forth as he suddenly realized something.

"There is still one hope for this world." Aran announced suddenly, making Cygnus turn her hope filled eyes to him.

"Tell me Aran, do you mean…"

"Yes; they and their children are our last hope. I need your help in getting to them."


	2. Chapter 1: Things of the Past

Chapter 1: Things of the past

"Hey Mom! Do you know where the heck my backpack is?" Jenny shouted as she pounded on her keyboard, firing the last arrow in her digital arsenal. Quickly she moved her nimble fingers over the keyboard, making her computer character jump onto a low hanging vine so she could quickly type out a message to her friends.

"Sorry guys, I gtg… I have school, lol" her four best friends replied back in the small messaging system at the bottom of the screen in dull orange letters.

_"Telip22: Yeah… that's a good idea… see you there jenny."_

_"Bl4ze482: oh crap... i still gotta write my paper too. cya guys there."_

_"xXdr4gonXx: oh man I didn't watch the clock.. bye bye"_

_"UnderBelt: wow… I'll be at your house in five jen."_ Jenny quickly logged out of her favorite game, MapleStory and rushed to the kitchen where her breakfast of an over easy egg on top of a piece of toast sat. She had been so engrossed in her game that she hadn't heard her mother tell that her pack was sitting on the couch, running out the door while throwing her pack over her shoulder.

"Bye mom, thanks for the toast!" she called as she ran, munching on the toast and ran up to the curb as her friend, Helen Olman pulled up in her silver compact, allowing her to plop down in the passenger seat. Waiting for them at the front of the school where the last three that made up their small group: Matthew Drake, Jack Waterman, and Olsen Da'Lor. Like Jenny, he was part of the school's track team he could often be seen on the treadmill in the school gym. The five of them greeted each other, recounting their adventures in their 'world' a company called Nexon had created while Jack looked through his back pack furiously when his shoulders suddenly slumped.

"Aw man, you can't be serious." He huffed disappointedly.

"What?" asked Jenny through a mouthful of toast.

"I left my English assignment back at home."

"When was it due?" Olsen asked.

"Today; I had just run a spell check on it and printed it out after I had logged off this morning."

"Well… if you were that Pirate you have, you could summon your pig and run home quickly and get it after first period." Matthew suggested, reaching up brushing the hair out of his face for the tenth time.

"First period _is_ English Sherlock." Answered Helen smartly; Olsen chuckled and shook his head.

"Maybe we could say that you lost it and that you need another day to do it." Olsen suggested, his ever so slight French accent making Jenny's heart flutter. The school bell rang and whoever was left outside the building made their way indoors when Jack thought he heard his mom's voice.

"Jack! You left this on the seat!" his mom, Carrie, came running up the sidewalk and handed him a stack of papers just before he slipped through the door of the entrance, sliding into his seat just as the teacher was beginning to call roll. Olsen leaned over to Jack and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Dude, you never told me that your mom was a Brunette Bombshell." He whispered loudly, making the others around him look their way as if to say 'quiet down!'

"I don't exactly advertise it; she _IS_ married you know." Jack shot back, rearranging his papers and making sure they were all in proper order.

"Yeah I know but still, dang!" Olsen hissed. The day went by uneventfully, running through their classes as normal which was always boring; nothing ever happened in this small town of Huron, Ohio. On their lunch break they again were all sitting together, trying to strategize how best to get to the next level when suddenly the sun that was shining through the window was darkened as clouds gathered into a funnel. It just hung there while a bright white light gathered at the center of the whirling clouds, building into a large sphere. Students rushed to the window in a mad race, taking pictures with their cell phones, texting their friends and family and even breaking out the occasional video camera. Olsen suddenly felt a foreboding; he couldn't explain it, but something bad was about to happen. Looking to Matthew, he could tell that he too was getting the same feeling.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" he shouted as he and Matthew tipped up a table, following some kind of unknown instinct as the rest of them hid behind it. Some of the other students ducked, but the rest of them just looked back laughing almost at these freaks. All at once the light turned into a beam that shot down hard making the ground shake as a figure appeared in the light while a sound wave ripped through the windows, breaking the thick safety glass and hurling the students that hadn't ducked to the ground. The Five carefully peered over the table into the bright light that was descending, only able to make out a hazy silhouette, but what they could see was a man with a cape and a long handled axe standing in the light, seeming to turn and vanish. A few moments later, the light stopped and the cloud that had gathered simply faded away, leaving behind a crater in the football field with chunks and slabs of earth being the only thing that remained of what had just happened.

The five of them had all seen the commercials on TV for the new MapleStory class called Aran which had debuted not long ago, followed by the Evan and Dual Blade, and they all knew what the original hero Aran was said to look like, but was what they just saw, that hero? The groaning from the kids that had been knocked down brought them back to reality as they struggled to their feet with cuts and bumps all over their bodies, rubbing their ears to try and get the ringing out of them while others began to grunt and hiss as then tried to pull out the shards of glass made slippery by their blood. Helen quickly began running from student to student, running for one of the first-aid kits the in the room. As she wrapped one of the student's wounds, she noticed a pale violet glow emanating from her hand, seeping into his skin.

"Man, you must really know your first aid, It doesn't hurt anymore, thanks." The student said, walking away to get his backpack leaving Helen to stare at her hand, wondering what it was she saw until she realized that there were still others that needed help. The rest of the day was a tentative mess, with the police and other law enforcement officials inspecting the hole in the football field, even going so far as to bring the mayor out to see what had happened. The school nurse and ambulance crews did the best they could to tend to the wounded that hadn't been helped yet by the nurse, taking some of the more severe cases to the nearby hospital. Officers interviewed and questioned most of the students including "the five", as they were called in the school. However, since they were the only ones in their school that really played MapleStory with a grain of seriousness, they didn't reveal their suspicions, or the fact that they saw a figure appear in the light.

"What do you make of it sir?" Officer Helston asked, walking up to the sheriff as the both of them just stared at the hole, while another officer tapped in stakes and put caution tape around it

"I can't really say I know what to make of it Helston. Either this is a very elaborate trick, or we're facing…" the sheriff leaned in close to Helston's ear to whisper.

"…an alien invasion." When he finished, Helston only looked at the Sheriff strangely who nodded as though confirming his own thesis, since the sheriff claimed at one time he was abducted by aliens, and ever since then had been secretly watching the skies for their outer space visitors. Once they had been dismissed, the five friends quickly headed home and signed onto Maplestory chattering between themselves about what had happened, forgetting all about the assignments that they had been given and began looking up information about the Aran Class. It wasn't long before Olsen signed off at the request of his father, so saying goodbye he logged off and came down stairs. Pierre Da'Lor was a serious looking man as well as a patient master of the ninja arts which Olsen had inherited and was becoming well versed. However he still couldn't beat his dad in some areas and would pay for it in the 3 hours of parkour, climbing, sneaking up on an enemy and close quarters combat with some practice involving shuriken.

Helen was the next to be pulled away from her computer at the request of her grandfather, Glen Olman; a fun loving man, with a long white beard and clear intelligent blue eye that Helen had inherited. During his younger days which he often talked about, he was an accomplished magician equal to or greater than Houdini, but never had the drive to become a celebrity. Helen had become quite the magician herself, becoming exceedingly excellent at performing sleight-of-hand tricks that left some of the students at school stumped. What made her practice so hard though were the promises that if she could out-do her grandfather, she would be taken on a world cruise; but time after time, Glen could always be one step ahead of her as though he could really perform magic. Not only were his seemingly sleight of hand tricks always better, but there was also the fact that in Glen's Library were hundreds of books seeming to be written in a different language and a strange feeling that Helen got whenever she walked in to the Library.

Matthew logged off on his own because he was bored, walking over to the practice sword that his father, John Drake had made him and into the backyard where he spent his time swinging his sword through motions that he had seen on a website, featuring moves and videos of people trained in using medieval techniques as well as video games and movies. John "Dances with Buffalo" Drake was a tall man and was enormously strong, standing at the back door watching his son while his wife, Yasmin walked up behind him and put her arms around him, watching the sight outside.

Jenny and Jack were the last two to sign off and being that they were neighbors, Jenny grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows then headed over to Jack's place where a target range had been set up next to the barn where Jack would practice on a punching bag or be lifting weights while Jenny shot arrows at various targets, sometimes even practicing with a bo staff just for fun. Carrie sat on the stairs watching the two of them, sometimes going over to Jack and giving him advice on his form. Carrie was a fit, full busted woman with caramel brown hair and olive green eyes; she would often times be stared at she walked down the street, or even whistled at due to her rather ample assets. Other than that, most people just called her a really good looking woman or would often comment to her husband, Mark, that he was a lucky man. Jenny would stay until her mother Tina came home from her work at the local grocery store, showing her how she had improved and would then be critiqued and given advice on how and where she needed to improve.

"It seems like you've really gotten a lot better with holding the bow while drawing it." Tina commented, motioning for her to come in the house. Tina had been a championship archer before Jenny was born, placing number one in the country and number two worldwide, but only because she had been purposefully holding back.

"It's doesn't feel like it; I still have trouble holding the bow steady and my shoulders feeling like their on fire." Jenny complained as Tina chuckled and nodded her head.

"The burning will eventually go away as your shoulders become stronger. It's just a sign that you are indeed performing the stances correctly." She said as she went into the house, noting for a moment how the tops of Jenny's ears they were slightly pointed. Just before Tina went in, she looked back into the trees that lined their backyard, her hand unconsciously going to the top of her ears from a small annoying itch: there was a tinge of familiar power in those woods. Was this indeed from who she thought it was? Before she could say much else, Jenny was already getting onto her computer and signing into her game. Tina could only laugh; that girl couldn't seem to get enough of that game, staying on it for up to 5 hours at a time. Her husband had died from a heart attack not long after Jenny was born, and since then she hadn't wanted to get married again. She was an independent woman and she felt that the one man that she had married, Kalib, was really the only man that ever understood her and her situation.

She could still remember waking up on this side after being sent through as she walked over the mantle and ran her fingers across the picture of them after they had gotten married: not much taller than her, with gentle, trusting dark eyes and dark hair. With a heavy sigh she pulled herself away from the picture about to start cooking a simple dinner when there was a heavy knock on the door. Something about that knock was familiar, yet she wasn't sure and went to the door. It sounded like it had been _him_, but it was still hard to tell. Instead of a person, a golden envelope was placed on the mat with nothing was written on the envelope, but it did feel like there was a piece of paper inside, like a letter. She looked around to see if she could find whom it had dropped it there yet she couldn't see anyone; not even her keen grass green eyes could pick out any hint of a shadow in the darkening evening sky. Slowly she stepped back inside and just as she closed the door she was surprised by Jenny who had come out to see who was at the door, quickly pulling the envelope behind her back and tried to seem innocent.

"What was that mom?"

"No one, just a letter drop off." Tina answered quickly, running her hand over her ear to pull back some of her long sandy hair.

"Then why are you hiding the letter behind your back?" Jenny asked, growing more suspicious.

"That's none of your business. Don't you have some homework to do young lady?" Tina scolded, making Jenny laugh and roll her eyes as she went back to her room and started on her homework. Tina walked back into the kitchen and placed the letter into the cupboard somewhere where it wouldn't be seen, and then continued making dinner.

"_I really hope that letter doesn't mean bad news._" She thought as she worked through making a Hamburger Helper dinner. When there was trouble, she and the others had always sent letters to each other in gold envelopes which would give the letter a priority status. However other times there were letters sent in the same kind of envelope that would only warn them of something. Jenny came out of her room just long enough to grab a plateful and then went right back into her room where she sat patting away at keys on her keyboard writing a report that was due the next day.

It was about midnight when Jenny shut her computer off and crawled into bed. Tina stood at her door, leaning on the frame and watching her for a moment as she drifted off to sleep, watching as Jenny's hand smoldered a dull green. The power that Tina had carried with her for the longest time was now passed down to her daughter, and there was no getting it back. But there was teaching her how to use what her body already knew, showing her the skills that Tina had learned when she was a girl and that Jenny was quickly picking up.

"_Jenny, you'll be a powerful Archer someday, you just don't know it._" She thought as she walked over and kissed her forehead as the glow faded, then quickly walked into the kitchen and pulled out the envelope. It from whom she had expected, but she hadn't realized how was quickly the situation was deteriorating back home stating that she and the others would need to meet with Aran in the woods as soon as possible.

Tina already felt dread: It had been nearly 18 years since she had come here, housing within her the power of the Emerald Crystal which made her skills as an archer unparalleled, and even more so in this world. But once Jenny was born that power was passed on to her. Tina went into the garage and moved aside things that she had gathered over the years, revealing the door of a safe. Nimbly she twisted the knob into the combination, revealing an old yet strong bow, The Kandiva, and a quiver of bronze tipped arrows, still as sharp and shiny as the day she had come to this world. Tina then pulled out the clothes that she had worn when she came to this world, looking over them longingly. Quickly she put them back and then looked in the mirror that she had stored in the garage, sighing disappointedly and shaking her head at the sight that met her.

"_Looks like I'll need to get back in shape again._" she sighed; the years in this world had filled her figure out slightly, and wondered if her Queen ever had such problems before she disappeared all those years ago. She chuckled, picking up her bow and arrows and left to the woods that were behind her house.

* * *

John finished his fourth steak of the evening while his son, played on the computer. 18 years ago he had come to this place with the others, but it didn't seem like that long ago: time here had a funny way of passing so easily. Maybe it was because the most feared thing in this world was something called the I.R.S., and not a raging 30 foot beast. He had come to hide here, controlling half of the potent Ruby Crystal in him, which made his strength and skill with any medieval weapon far above anyone that had ever been before him so that he could defend against the many dangers of _his_ world. To pass the time and to survive, he quickly landed a job in the City Building filing away paperwork or meeting someone at the front desk to answer any of their requests where he earned the nickname 'Dances with Buffalo' because of his Native American-like features. Soon after he had come, he met Yasmin and a few short months later, they were married and had a child, Matthew. Alas, when Matthew was born, the power that he held was passed on to him and his own power returned to a lower level, but he was still monstrously strong.

Once he had finished his steak, a knock came at the door at which Yasmin went to answer but instead found a gold envelope. John stopped mid bite of his apple pie then quickly opened the envelope and read the letter within. Yasmin looked over his shoulder, putting her arms around his neck and leaning on him while reading the letter with him and sighed heavily.

"So... the time has come?" she asked, putting her slender hands on his shoulders to massage them. John nodded hesitantly.

"Yes, I am afraid that the time has come to return. But I won't leave you here; You'll be coming with me, you and Matthew. He is the one hope for my world." Yasmin nodded and swallowed hard; she had been told the story of where he was from, why he had come and always dreaded the day when he would have to go back. There had always been a slight feeling of disbelief to his story ever since she heard it, but with every tale and legend she had been told as a child, she believed that she should at least allow him that much even if it might be just an elaborate story.

John went to the hall and pulled down the ladder that led up into the attic where his shield and axe were stored looking longingly at his headdress, but decided to leave it for the moment. He came back down, spun the axe in his hand a moment and then kissed Yasmin, heading out the back and into the woods.

* * *

Pierre threw a kunai at the final target of the training center that he had set up, slowly and softly panting and shaking his head at himself; coming to the world had made him become soft, at least in his eyes. If he was to keep his athletic physique in top condition, he would have to train harder since there had been a foreboding in the air ever since that afternoon when there was a gathering of clouds over Olsen's school.

Olsen had already retired for the night just like Pierre used to when he was young, back when his master was still alive and the relationship with his master's daughter was still in good standing. Back then, he was the top ninja of a long died out clan called the Night Lords, and wanting to continue that bloodline he re-named himself in honor of them and their old master. Walking over to the kunai he had thrown, he sensed something that wasn't part of his training area drifting through the air behind him. Quickly he pulled the kunai out and hurled it behind him, pinning a gold envelope to the side of the house making his eye become wider when he recognized it.

He didn't need to read it, he knew exactly what it said, which was something that he was always known for; even his comrades were amazed that he knew what it was they wanted by the time they got to his basement back home. Silently going back into the house, he went into the back of his closet and pulled a shoe box containing his old, battle scared claw still loaded with a shuriken. As he tightened it to his arm, he passed by Olsen's room and paused for a moment; he had come to this world, 2 years before the others. Somehow when Grendal had initiated the spell to bring them over, the placement was a bit off and landed him in the middle of a city called Paris, where he spent the first year trying to learn the language and getting a job as a Private Investigator. It was during one of his jobs that he met Abelia, his since divorced wife. Once Olsen was born, he felt it was time to tell her where he was from and why he was here. The power of the Pink Quartz that he had brought with him made his skills as a ninja so much higher than anyone of his ancestors and made him such an excellent Investigator, but she didn't believe him, and soon thereafter sent him the divorce papers, telling him that she wanted nothing to do with him or their son ever again. Once the divorce had been finalized, Pierre was left with nothing; no home, no money, and a baby boy in his care. Using the skills he knew, he took his son on a plane and came to this small town where he eventually learned his comrades were living. However his power had been passed to Olsen, and so he no longer had the awesome prowess, but he was still stealthy Private Investigator in this country.

"Olsen… be strong." He whispered, running out of the back door and into the woods behind his house. In one smooth motion as he ran, threw one star back at the envelope, igniting it and burning it from existence so that when the time came to tell Olsen about what hardship he was about to endure, he could tell him face to face, and not have a piece of paper tell him after the fact.

* * *

Carrie sat on the back porch, drinking a cup of her favorite lemon tea listening to the birds and crickets: it was peaceful in this world. There was never any danger of having some creature attacking their house, and no bandits that would come in the middle of the night, but it still wasn't like the life that she had as a captain on the _Nautilus_. She had carried the second half of the Ruby Crystal with here to the world, while Dances was the one who carried its counterpart. Jack was still in the barn in the backyard, driving as hard as he could at the punching bag, when he suddenly stopped, dropped his arms and came walking wearily to the house.

"Hey ma, look I'm done. My arms feel like lead and my chest feels like it's about to explode." He heaved. Carrie smiled, and nodded, standing and wrapping her arms around Jack even though his shirt was soaked in sweat. As he pulled the door open Mark, came walking out and sat down next to her with a cup of coffee, listening to the slight breeze that was blowing through the trees.

"You know, he's really going at that bag. I might almost need to get him a new one." Carrie laughed, as she looked closer to see bands of silver duct tape wrapped numerous times around it to cover the holes in the cracking vinyl.

"Well… he is our son. And just over the past few days it seems like he's gotten some new strength. I've even had to put the bag back up on the hook a few times." Carrie pointed out. Mark shook his head and laughed quietly into his cup.

"That I know all too well." He answered, rubbing her back as he kissed her forehead. Carrie looked back out across the yard and took a sip of her tea, dropping her shoulders and closing her eyes as another gentle damp breeze weaved its way through the yard.

"You still miss the _Nautilus_?" Mark asked. Carrie chuckled under her breath and nodded.

"I told you that once I seal this business deal, I'll get a boat." Mark said, adding emphasis on the fact that he had promised a boat. Carrie turned back to him and smiled, leaning against him.

"I still want to name it the _Nautilus_ you know." Carrie responded smartly. Mark nodded and laughed. It had been 18 years since she had come here. As odd as it was, Carrie appeared just above a lake where Mark had been fishing over the weekend; Carrie was a strong swimmer but the plunge into the lake made her somehow hit her head, leaving Mark to rescue her. A year went by of visiting and talking which turned to dating, and before either of them knew it, they were married and had a son. Mark knew her story, though he didn't really believe the whole thing since he himself was a partial owner in a major fishing company and heard _plenty_ of stories of the sea.

Slowly an envelope drifted down into Carrie's lap, making her look around a bit before quickly setting her tea down and reaching for it, slipping her finger through the top. In what seemed to almost be fearful anticipation she pulled out the letter, her eyes darting back and forth as she read over the neatly written letter that she really had hoped would never come. Quickly she got up and went back in the house, walking over to the picture hanging above the mantle and turning the dial of the safe which revealed a revolver pistol with something that resembled a Maple Leaf molded into the side, and a small capsule of bullets which she loaded one by one into the cylinder then flipped it shut.

"Carrie, what's wrong?" Mark asked when he saw her loading the large pistol.

"Nothing, there's just something that I need to take care of."

"Honey, you have a loaded gun, and you're brushing it off as though it's a picnic. So yes, it's something."

"Mark, just trust me on this, it's not going to be dangerous. This gun is a, badge, of sorts." Carrie answered, walking back to Jack's room. But when she walked through the door, she found that Jack and fallen asleep on his bed, face first with the light still on and still dressed in his soaking clothes. She smiled as she tightened the belt that held the holster around her generous hips and dropped the gun into it.

"He doesn't need to know just yet, let him sleep for now." She said, turning off the lights with Mark right behind her.

"I'll be back in an hour or so."

"So you're sure that this isn't something that you're going to be getting into a fight over?" Mark asked once again.

"Yes, I'm sure. I can handle myself alright? I'm a lot tougher than I look." Carrie smiled, as she quickly kissed him and ran out the back door, tossing the letter into the trash.

* * *

Glen was typing out a spell that he had translated from the Arcane language on his old Brother typewriter, when he felt something hanging in the air. Stopping in mid sentence he squinted his eyes, looking, left then right, than back left. His Granddaughter had left a little while before so there was no one to see him hold out his hand and summon a weathered staff, beginning to float through the house trying to find the source of the twinge that he felt. Glen, better known to his comrades and Grendal, had traveled 100 years in this world's past, slowly learning what he could and then sending back reports to Ossyria for the others to have a better grip on how to live here once he brought them over. But if he were going to live in this world, he would need to use some of his magic which was amplified by the Amethyst Crystal to stay young enough until he met a girl that he could, "settle down" with. It wouldn't be until 1968 of this world that he would meet his love, Helen. A few years later when their son Gregory was born, the power of the Amethyst crystal was passed on to him but Grendal didn't allow the power to weave itself into Gregory since his comrades had yet to come.

Once Gregory had married in 1991 and had a child the following year, Glen let the power weave itself into his granddaughter, Helen, named after Glen's wife who passed away the same year as she was born. As he searched through the house he presently came to the attic where the power seemed to be coming from the strongest. Opening the trap door he floated into the dusty room, the top of his staff glowing with a spell ready to deal with any foe he might encounter when he saw his friend Aran sitting in the window.

"Aran; so it was you." Glen said in a pleased tone. Aran nodded, picking up his halberd and walked over to Glen, the boards creaking slight with each step.

"You've changed; your beard isn't as long as I remember Grendal." Aran pointed out as Grendal's eyes laughed.

"When you're my age in this world, a beard that long isn't really the best thing to have since it gets in the way all the time. And in this world, please call me Glen." Aran nodded and then placed a hand in his shoulder.

"It's time, Old friend." Aran said gravly making Glen's eyes become wide.

"You can't be serious Aran: The Black Mage has…"

"I'm afraid so. He's also resurrected all the beasts that you and the others had defeated all those years ago."

"To what purpose?"

"No one knows old friend. But come, the others will be coming soon." Glen nodded and followed Aran into the cool night air that led into the woods behind his house. It had been a while since he had seen his comrades, even though they all lived so close to each other, but the air that hung around Aran didn't forebode well for them.


	3. Chapter 2: It Is Time

Chapter 2: It is time…

It wasn't long until Aran and Glen came to the bonfire set up in the forest. Glen held out his hand to the fire, perking it up with quite recitation of a fire spell while Aran placed bore wood within the small circle of stones.

"I'm surprised that you haven't lost any of your ability after all this time here Glen. I would imagine that using magic in a place such as this would cause quite a stir."

"That it would Aran. However I did manage by hiding my true power in running a small magic shop for a long time." Glen laughed when he looked up to see a familiar face waling into the light of the fire.

"Aran, it is good to see you again." John said, placing his hatchet and shield near the fire which glowed red once he had set his axe near it. Aran nodded, taking the halberd from his back and setting the head on the ground.

"You look so different without your headdress Dances, I'm surprised that you didn't bring it." Aran noted; John shrugged as Tina was the next to speak.

"Personally, I think that he looks better without it. Aran, it's good to see you again, as well as you Dances, and Glen." She said nodding to each of them, taking an arrow from her quiver and stabbing it into the ground, propped her bow against it; the fire burned green near her weapons. Aran nodded to her to acknowledge her arrival when his eyes brightened in recognition.

"Athena, I didn't recognize you at first. You look so different." He commented. Athena blushed slightly and smiled.

"It's Tina here. Well, living _and_ having a child in this world makes one's figure change." She replied.

"I didn't mean that. I meant your ears and hair. They're no longer pointed as from what I remember and your hair isn't as long as I remember." Tina nodded.

"Elves don't exist here Aran. It's only a spell that Grendal helped me with. As far as my hair, the cleaning pastes to keep one's hair clean is quite expensive, so having hair as long as I did wasn't very cost efficient." Glen nodded to her as he slowly came into the light and placed his staff next to the fire, which burned a lavender color with his staff near, and burned pink as Jin set his claw and stars next to the fire, with Carrie being the last to set her pistol next to the fire, making it burn red.

"And so, we are all here. I see that each of you have made lives in this world when I delivered these letters to you so I will not take up anymore of you time than I need to. What should I call you by while I am in this world?" Aran asked.

"I, Dark Lord, am called Pierre DaLor." Jin replied shortly, crossing his arms.

"Athena Peirce, Tina Price."

"I have made the name John Drake in this world, with the nickname "Dances with Buffalo. Here I have learned that 'Blarog' is actually the name of a powerful demon."

"Glen Olman is the name I decided on. Grendal the Ancient wasn't that flattering."

"Carrie Waterman. Though I'd much rather prefer my real name of Captain Kyrin." Aran nodded to them all; for so long he had known them all by their real names that it was hard to remember to call them by their names here in this world.

"It is time that you, the Five Masters, return to Ossyria. The Black Mage has risen once again, and resurrected most, if not all of the enemies that you have slain. Despite the best efforts of Cygnus's Knights, Evan and myself, we could not prevent his return." Everyone save Kyrin gasped; they all remembered what horrors had lived in Ossyria, even without the influence of the Black Mage.

"How did it happen?" asked Pierre coldly. Aran could only shake his head.

"I can only speculate. Not much was known about what happened to the Black Witch after the knights defeated her, since she disappeared before she could be captured, though her wounds were quite severe. I have a feeling that she has something to do with it; that, and the fact that the Dark Crystal has gone missing." Tina's face fell.

"You don't think…"

"I hope to Minerva that she hadn't used it to free him, Tina." Everyone was silent for a long while, mulling over what it was they had been told until Carrie broke the silence.

"Alright, that sounds scary and all, but who is this "Black Mage" that your all so scared of? He's just a man with some flashy tricks up his sleeve." She asked loudly, sounding as if she were trying to stifle the fears that she felt; Even though she had spent most of her life at sea, even _she_ had heard of this despicable man, but no more than rumors. Glen looked over at her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No Kyrin… Carrie, my apologies… The Black mage is a _VERY_ real danger to Ossyria. This would probably be before you came into port, or even before your time, so you might not know as much about it as Aran, I, or Tina." Glen solemnly said.

"Tina?" She asked, raising her eyebrow and looking at her speculatively.

"Yes, Athena and I have known each other far longer then you may think." Aran replied.

"She was only a child the last time I had seen her. Minerva fought long and hard against the Black Mage, but her power was quickly being drained by the Black Mage during their battle. And so in one last effort to save the people of Ossyria, she gathered all that she could together in the Victoria Provence and broke it away from Ossyria, sending it away from the main land, out the of reach of the Black Mage. It was soon after that in Minerva's last stand against him to save Victoria that her life was taken. Some of us, however, had been left behind in Leafre, me included. I had been injured while fighting some of his lackeys in, and the Mage was about to make his advance through the forest using the Manon as his advance force. When I awoke, everyone was boarding a ship with Tina organizing them, however one child had been unaccounted for and so I went to retrieve the child. But when I found him, I could see my comrades flying in dragon form towards the Temple of Time which had become his mobile fortress, no doubt there would be hundreds of enemies there and they would need my help. I quickly returned the child, and then joined my comrades in fighting him off as fast as I could despite my injuries. It was a battle that seemed to last ages, but it was merely moments until Freud the Dragon Master and Luminous, the Mage of Light managed to trap him in a spell, ultimately sealing him under the Sleeping Wood. However, The Mage had one last curse which sealed all of us away in ice. I was the first to be cursed by it, while the others seemed to last longer; we might have been cursed and taken away from the people we loved the most, but Ossyria was finally rid of the danger of the Black Mage" Carrie sighed; she now understood the severity of the threat the Black Mage posed to all of Ossyria.

"I had heard something about this Black Mage not too long after the _Nautilus_ had made port. I think it was Bain who said something about it and the disciples of him, but I passed it off as just something that was just from us being at sea too long."

"I remember them. The child puppeteer was such a sorrowful loss, so young and yet so twisted. It was a shame that he ultimately was killed: he showed such great potential." Glen commented.

"What happened to the warriors that helped us in getting here?" Pierre asked flatly, all of them turning to him as if he were asking a crazy question.

"Who are you talking about Pierre? We came on our own." Tina answered, making Pierre shake his head and wave his hand.

"No no no, I mean the young woman with the strange pistol and the dragon worriors, don't you remember then? You can't tell me you've forgetten about them." Pierre asked with a huff as they all thought for a moment until Kyrin perked up, snapping her fingers as she tried to remember.

"Oh! I know who you're talking about! The gunslinger! Her name was, something mechanical sounding… Jett! Yeah I remember her. And the other two… they were named, uh…"

"Tear and Kyle of the Nova: What happened to them Aran?" Aran sighed heavily and shook his head.

"Kyle and Tear went back to their world to save it. I don't know what happened to Jett; she disappeared trying to deflect an attack sent after you." Pierre nodded his understanding: the Nova have been fierce warriors, defending not only Ossyria, but also their own from an enemy that Pierre had heard of, but never saw during their time together.

"What of the _Nautilus_?" Carrie asked, concern thick in her voice.

"We used it to get as many as possible to Herb Town via Aqua Road and the abyssal dark of Pianus's lair."

"Were all of them able to be saved?" Asked John.

"Most of them were saved, and at this point are hiding in the farthest point in Herb Town. We managed to use the Pirate's Den to hide the _Nautilus_ thanks to the cooperation of Lord Pirate."

"And what of the Nautilus' crew?" Carrie asked. With each question the anticipation in her face a voice becoming more apparent.

"Not all of the crew made it. Muirhat has yet to be found or return. Just as we were taking the last of the people from Victoria away, an army of Skelegons was closing in on us through Henesys and the Nautilus stalled. The Whalians had been working as hard as they could, even pushing past their own limits to maintain the Core in the engine room becoming weak from hunger. One of the three managing it passed out and Sharyl took his place, but it was taking too long to get the Nautilus restarted. Muirhat volunteered to give us some time by stalling the advancing hoard. Your sister tried to stop him but he went anyway and that was last any of us saw of him. I went back after the initial attack, and this was the only thing that I found." Aran reached behind him and pulled out a dirty white cloth that Muirhat used to cover his eyes. Carrrie dropped her eyes and whispered.

"Muirhat…" Aran nodded, then straightened, reaching back for his halberd Maha and held it over the fire, which flared slightly as Maha himself appeared above the halberd, crossing his arms and looking seriously at all of them that had gathered.

"Masters, it is time that you return to Ossyria, the time for the Prophecy given by Minerva herself to be fulfilled has come." Maha said sternly; one by one the masters picked up their weapons and layered then over the fire on top. Aran nodded as they all pulled their weapons away quickly, making the fire die down to nothing but smoldering ashes, leaving them in the dark of the night. Maha floated over beside Aran, seeming to sit on his shoulder, being the only light in the area at the moment.

"We leave in three days. Be sure to have everything you need by then." Aran announced, picking up a bucket of dirt and tossing it on the ashes to put out the last of the smolders. They all nodded and returned to their respected homes, the conversation weighing heavily on their minds. When Dances returned to his home, Yasmin was still up, absently reading the book she had bought at the dime store not too long ago. She quickly put the book down a shuffled to the kitchen where he had come in, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed wearing her favorite snowman pajamas.

"So, what's the damage?" she asked. John looked back up into her eyes, blinking slowly.

"We have three days."

* * *

Ergoth stepped slowly through the dark halls to where his new master was sitting, making the Dark Crystal dance between his fingers as though it were a mere coin while he watched the six in their meeting through a crystal ball.

"Master Black Mage. Why don't you go to their world and take back the last four crystals yourself? Playing with them like this is such a waste of time." Ergoth asked in a deep, gravelly voice. The Mage just turned his gaze to him from behind his mask, making Ergoth seriously contemplate whether or not he was going to live much longer.

"The Magus has other plans for those four. Besides, he doesn't want to simply take them; that would be too easy." Said the sultry voice of Eleanor, leaning a bit enticingly against Mage's chair. Whispers of hundreds of voices began to rise around Eleanor and Ergoth as he turned his attention back to the crystal back before him, staring intently into the Dark crystal in his hand.

"Their power has depleted? How can that be? I was under the impression that the crystals never lost their power?" The mage slowly turned his gaze back to Eleanor as thick, more hiss-like whispers hung in the air.

"Then if all it takes to get their power back is use, why did you bring us back to life?!" the high pitched voice of Pinkbean asked, waddling in beside Ergoth.

"If all you're doing is making trouble for the masters, what's the point?" The mage slowly stood, turning back to the pink lump of fleshm holding out his hand to him as he narrowed his eyes while holding his hand out to them, whispers rising in their ears. One of Horntail's three heads weaved its way into the room and thrummed.

"Then if all you are doing is bringing us back only to send us back to our graves, to 'train' the crystals as you say, what is the point?" Huffed the hydra, small flames flaring between his teeth for a moment. It seemed like only a split second, but Horntail found himself driven into the ground, Pinkbean went flying in a random direction, only to bounce off the wall, and Ergoth was scrambling at his neck from the Mage's iron grip. Growling hisses buzzed in their ears while the light in The Mage's eye became brighter, tightening his grip around Ergoth's throat. Horntail growled in discontent, re-adjusting his jaw then spitting out a glob of spit and blood after the rocks had forced his teeth to dig into his gums. Pinkbean struggled to get up, trying to sound as scary as he could, even with high squeaky voice.

"He is right you know. It would be easy enough to send you back to your graves right now than to explain himself to such simple minded fools a as you." Eleanor said, confirming what the mage had said a moment before.

"If all you did was to bring us back to kill us, using us as tools for your own success, than I want no part in it. This is not what we agreed on!" The Mage smiled as he let go of Ergoth and faced the giant talking marshmallow.

"You're correct, that isn't what we agreed on. He only told you that you would have another chance to gain revenge on those who had killed you before. Eleanor answered, setting her staff down with a hollow sound while the Mage gazed intently into Bean's eyes. Ergoth struggled to stand and stared down at the Black Mage, only to have the Mage's gaze overpower his own and make him leave.

"You know dearest, you don't have to be so harsh." Eleanor smiled. The Mage sat down again and called up the image of the masters departing. Agitated whispers hung in the air around them as The Mage waved his hand and brought up the image of the Masters once more.

"They may not be worthy to be called your followers, but where else would you find such fine fodder for your plans?" Eleanor asked, sitting down on the arm of his throne. The Mage turned his gaze to her for a moment before turning back to his ball, more whispers rising for a moment.

"Yes, there are others, however I wouldn't want you to waste your time and energy searching more when you've already spent a considerable amount bringing them back." Eleanor stood once again and leaned forward to fill The Mage's gaze with her ample bust and lovely face.

"Besides, the power that will be regained by training those children to use it will be nothing short of Magnificent." Eleanor emphasized, while The Mage's eyes looked as though they smiled slightly and nodded slowly as a short whisper sounded for a moment.

"No, Thank _you_, my master."


	4. Chapter 3: Returning to a Place

Chapter 3: Returning to a place you've never seen

The next day, the five woke up early, signing into MapleStory and playing through mission after mission; taking down boss monsters, ridding the game of other pesky monsters, or finding other NPC's around the "maple world" only to go back to the first one, trying to find out anything that would lead them to clues about the Aran class. All too soon though, it was time to sign out and get ready for school, none of them noticing that their parents were packing or getting things out of storage that had been there for years. Everything seemed normal, boring even: school went by with the same boring lessons, P.E. came and went, and then more classes all of which seemed to go by in a blended blur, ending with them all hanging out at the local burger place where they would laugh and talk about anything that came to mind.

"Have you ever down to the docks at sunset?" asked Matthew to no one in particular.

"No not really. Don't you get in trouble though?" replied Jenny.

"Nah… there's a section of dock that's pretty much deserted after about 5:30. You wanna go?" Everyone looked at each other back and forth and since none of them had any pressing assignments due the next day they all left, hanging on each other's shoulders and singing out with all their hearts some words that they had made up to a song from a MapleStory town called Ludibrum, singing in time with the bouncy and fun loving music.

"_Take all your cares and fears in this big world,_

_Make a big basket and throw it out._

_And you all have a great time!_

_Don't think about it at all_

_Take all your cares and trash them_

_Don't look back at all!_"

On and on they sang, laughing as they would stumble through words or replace a line with another, all the while walking to the docks where Matthew was leading them. With a nudge they all looked out over the waters that were before them dipped in colors of red, yellow, orange and pinks reflected back by the high clouds that signaled an incoming rainstorm, but they didn't care. Olsen sighed and then jumped up to a cross brace of a nearby crane, flipping and jumping up until he was sitting at the very end of the boom his movement's caught Jenny's eye, and saw what it was that he was doing. She knew she had nowhere near the same acrobatic abilities and Olsen, but this may be the one chance that she had to really try and tell him how she felt, about her crush that she had felt for him ever since she had hit her early teens. Looking around for a bit she found the ladder leading up to the control cab and began climbing the crane to get to him.

* * *

Jack couldn't explain it, but he felt like he had been somewhere like this before; the only place that he had ever really been that was close to water was a trip to a section of beach next to Lake Erie. Yet he couldn't help but feel that this is where he was supposed to be.

"It's a beautiful sunset." Helen said and she sat down and dangled her feet over the edge.

"I sometimes come here just to think. I may have even written a paper here before I played Maple." Jack nodded, agreeing with Matt.

"I can understand why you would want to come here." Meanwhile Jenny had just reached the top of the crane, walking carefully over to Olsen who sat with one leg dangling over the edge of the boom, looking out over the water.

"What are you doing up here?" She asked as she came and sat down next to him, hugging her knees to her chest while being careful to keep away from the edge, slightly chilled by the breeze that blew.

"Just thinking." There it was again, that slight French accent that drove her nuts. She looked away so he wouldn't see her blush, but was quickly brought back to reality when Olsen began speaking again.

"Jen, I don't really know why, but for a while now I've had this feeling…" Jenny turned quickly to him. Was he going to confess first? Was this really what she was prepared for? The guy that she had a huge crush on was really telling her that he liked her? Her heart began to pound so hard that she could hear it in her own ears, and hoped that Olsen could hear it.

"…It's been nagging at me ever since I can remember. I don't know about you, but I've always had the feeling that I wasn't going to stay here, that I wasn't _meant_ to stay here." Jenny felt like she had just deflated; all that tension in the air and all he could say was that he had a feeling that he was about to go away?

"How do you mean?" she asked, trying to regain her proverbial footing while trying to hide her agitation.

"I mean like; you know when you just get that feeling that something bad is going to happen? You don't when, what or how it's going to happen but you just know that it is going to happen?"

"Yeah." Jenny nodded, pretending to be interested in her shoelace, still reeling.

"That's how this feels. I feel like all of us, not just me are going to go very far away from here very soon. Why I don't know, I just get that feeling." Olsen turned his gaze towards Jenny who wasn't prepared to meet his gaze and her entire face turned red.

"You know what I mean?" Jenny just turned away quickly and nodded.

_"Damn it! Damn it! Damn It! I just can't say it! What do I do? What do I do?"_ Olsen chuckled and stood.

"Anyway, that's what's going through my head." He voiced as he walked back towards the ladder that lead down to the docks and as he climbed down, he saw a group walking towards them dressed in baggy pants and thin tank tops, some even sporting a few tattoos. Matt, Helen and Jack didn't even notice until one of them turned Jack around roughly and pushed him down.

"Lookit, this is our dock. And you in our way, so get your sorry asses outta here before something happens."

"And what happens when we don't move?" asked Helen, getting up from her sitting spot and standing slightly behind Matthew. Jack rocked his head to the side a bit as Olsen and Jenny came up from behind.

"Oh, girl's got game." Said another of the group, walking up to Helen and reaching out for her arm; Matthew grabbed onto the man's forearm hard, harder than he remembered ever being able to and pushed the man away. For a moment, Matthew noticed that there was a residual red glow on the man's arm in the shape of his hand print, but there didn't seem to be any wounds on the man's skin from it.

"Oh so you want to fight do ya? Then come at me, lemme see what chu got." The man challenged. Matthew only chuckled and shook his head, while Jack and Helen began walking away.

"You're not worth it." Matthew said flatly as he turned to leave.

"I see how it is, you just gonna chicken out like all the otha punks around here. You ain't nothing but a…"

"Just shut it already." Jack called back over his shoulder and continued walking until there was a loud double click behind them.

"You want'n me to blast you away then? Prove you a man."

"He doesn't have to prove anything to you." Jenny called, slowly turning around to see the man that had reached for Helen holding a gun at arm's length, approaching them.

"Well that's too bad. Since yo boys here don't seem like they want to man up, I can just take what I want." Again the man reached for Helen

" And you look like a fine piece of…" but the man didn't get a chance to finish his sentence when Olsen's leg streaked past Helen's head and slammed into the guy's forehead glowing a light pink color. But just as soo as he had finished the move, two more guys had pulled guns out of their belts and took aim at Olsen.

"You wanna try that again?!" one of them asked angrily as the first man got up. Slowly Olsen set his leg down, his entire body burning with something, a desire to move, to beat these guys, something. But with a gun aimed at him there really wasn't much that he could do, even though he could move fast than the average person, he would need to move _A LOT_ faster to disarm these punks. Once the first man stood back up, he quickly walked over to them, pulling Helen from between them hard.

"Don't touch me." She said as she pulled away. The man reached out again and grabbed her arm again.

"Maybe you'd like to meet the back side of my piece upside your head? Yeah that's what I thought. Comon, we gonna have some fun tonight." He said pulling Helen away. Matt and Olsen made a flinch of a move but were quickly met with the end of a gun from the two that had also drawn guns. Helen struggled to get away, her arms and hands glowing a dim purple color that made Matthew and Jack look at each other in confusion. She got away once when the one that had grabbed her suddenly let go, claiming that his hand felt like it had been burnt, but she was quickly grabbed again, as well as Jenny from a few more of the gangsters sneaking up behind them. A green glow flashed around her, allowing her to get away from them and clamber up onto a dumpster, managing to keep those that had grabbed her at bay, but Helen wasn't as lucky, some of the guys even touching her in areas that she was uncomfortable with as they roughly pulled the jacket from her shoulders and even began pulling her shirt up. Jack couldn't stand it and in one quick move kicked the guns out of the two men that held them back, then swiped both of them across the face with a quick punch. The guns fell into his hands, holding them while crossing his arms with the tops of the gun facing away from each other. Matthew was about to tell him how stupid he was being when a red glow engulfed him and spread to the guns. The glow then concentrated around the ends of the barrels sounding like cannons had gone off: the shot went screaming past the group torturing Helen and put two large holes in a dumpster while Jack went careening backwards. The guys all looked in the direction the shot had come from only long enough to see Jack come flying in with fists glowing red. Each punch that he delivered was invisibly quick, but painfully hard. He moved like a flash, knocking out the group around Helen before streaking to the group that was reaching for Jenny. The one that had grabbed Helen struggled to his feet, reaching for the nearest pistol while taking aim at Matthew, but was quickly met with four fast punches and then sent flying into the water as Jack somersaulted backwards. Everyone just stared in awe and confusion: what in the world just happened?

"Jack, dude are you ok?" Olsen asked, approaching him as the red glow faded as Jack sighed, then collapsed to the ground unconscious. An hour later found them all at the Waterman house standing or sitting around Jack while he lay out cold on the couch.

"Now, tell me again what happened?" asked Carrie as she placed another cool towel on Jack's head.

"We were down at the docks just watching the sunset from a spot that Matthew told us about, when these gangsters came up saying that it was their dock and pushed Jack. I asked them what would happen if we didn't move and one of the guys came at me, and then began taking me away. Then next thing I saw was a red comet like thing hit a dumpster and then Jack was rushing every single one of those guys with his fists glowing red. The one holding me got hit a couple times, and then Jack back flip kicked him into the lake. After that he just passed out." Helen explained for the fourth time. Carrie nodded as Pierre came in the front door with Glen right behind.

"He'll be fine guys. It sounds like he just went a bit overboard." Carrie assured them.

"But what about that red glow we saw?" asked Olsen .

"You might have been really worried about Helen. I know that lots of weird things can look like they happen when someone you know is in trouble." She said with a sad smile, her thoughts turning to Murihat, grabbing Helen's hand and shaking her head when she noticed that she was reaching for Jack, her hand glowing a dim violet.

"But…"

"Jenny, he'll be fine. It's late. You should be getting home. Pierre, would you make sure these young ones get home safely?" he nodded firmly and then led them out the door. Glen then turned back to Carrie, reaching into his jacket for something.

"Are you still going to keep them in the dark?" Glen asked sternly.

"It's for the best Glen. If they knew about who they really are right now, then there would be no doubt that they would get themselves into far more trouble. Were you able to find it?" Glen only shook his head and pulled out the elegant crystal bottle from within his jacket.

"It took me a while but I managed to find it."

"You still had some left after all this time?" Carrie asked as Mark walked in from the backyard.

"You still had what left? And what happened to Jack?!" he asked when he saw his son laying passed out on the couch. Glen and Carrie looked at each other for a moment: the gig was up, and it was time to try and convince Mark that what was about to happen was very real, much more real than any fish tale.

"Mark, honey. Do you remember that story I told you when I woke up in the hospital? That wasn't just a story, it was real. Jack's powers as a pirate have been steadily getting stronger: why do you think that we've had to buy him a new punching bag every couple of months? Today he just used them far more then he was ready for." Glen pulled the rest of the bottle in his jacket out, shaking it slightly as the thick blue liquid inside seemed to glow slightly.

"Right, and my sister is a mermaid. Carrie, those things were just something that you dreamed from hitting your head." Carrie shook her head as Glen hobbled over to Jack, pulled the plug and poured a drop of the liquid into his open mouth. Jack glowed blue for a moment and then stirred, pulling the covers over his shoulder and rolling onto his side fast asleep.

"It's not." Mark was unsure what he had just seen: maybe he had too much coffee, or the lighting was weird for a second. But Jack didn't just glow blue for a moment didn't he? Carrie then held up her hand that held the revolver straight out, the same blue glow appearing around her arm and then engulfing the gun as she aimed it out the window and pulled the trigger. An earsplitting roar answered back as a blue bolt of something shot into the night, shattering the nearby window and al the glass of every picture that had yet to be put away as Carrie slid to the front door. Mark slumped into a chair, trying to wrap his mind around everything that he had just seen. Then everything that Carrie had told he about this magical land called Ossyria and the submarine called the _Nautilus_ was real?

"What was that you just gave Jack?" he asked.

"Not knowing how to use his powers, Jack used up all his Mana,something that every human has within them; It's a byproduct of his Life Force. But a person only has so much that they can use when they are born. With training, the amount one has available to you grows; Jack had drained ALL of his Mana and passed out because his Mana level is still very small. The potion Glen gave him is a Mana restorative, but the rest must be restored via rest. If one were to rely of potions, it could kill you." Mark let his head fall into his hands. This was all too much. His wife really was some kind of freak, and his son was another freak, and he himself was a freak for marrying a freak. Glen walked forwards and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"All will be made clear soon, child. We are going to be leaving for Ossyria in two days. All of you will be coming." Mark just couldn't get his head wrapped around what it was that was happening. His whole life that he knew and built was just about to end. His whole career, life and living were all just going to, go away. Carrie holstered the gun and sat next to him.

"Please, just for a bit, humor me and just say that you believe me. Trust me, I'll tell you everything when we're safely there." Mark just nodded, still trying to make real what it was that he had just heard, not sure if he would ever be able to accept what he had seen.

* * *

"But Dad! Is Jack going to be ok?" Olsen pressed for the fifth time.

"Yes, he'll be perfectly fine after some rest."

"But what was that red glow around his fists?" Jenny asked. Sure she may not have a crush on him like she did Olsen, but he was still one of her close friends.

"Maybe I can go to my grandpa's house and see if one of the books in his library says something." Helen answered suddenly when she stopped and replayed in her mind what it was that she had said.

"_Wait a minute, why would I want to go to Grandpa's house and look through his books? Besides their all in a language that I can't read and their all about magic! Why would I need to look up something about magic? Magic is only in fairy tales right?"_ she thought furiously when she was startled by Pierre putting his hand on her shoulder.

"All will be made clear shortly. For now, just go home and rest." Reluctantly the other three trudged to their homes, some looking like they were about to do something else but forcing themselves to return home instead.

"Olsen, I want you to go home ahead of me. I have some business that I need to attend to." Olsen nodded and slowly walked home, scenes of what he had seen still playing back in his head. It just didn't seem real! Once Olsen was out of earshot, Pierre turned to an empty lot and shaking his head.

"You can come out. I still cant believe that eve after all this time you can't suppress your presence." Pierre scolded as Aran stood and walked to him, setting the end of his halberd down on the street.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Jack. He's unknowingly tapped into the powers passed onto him from his mother, and tripped the Ruby Crystal's power. The violent fusion that resulted made him use all his mana faster than he was ready for." Aran nodded, and looked to the star filled sky.

"It's only been a day since I arrived, but already I am beginning to think that three days is too long a time before we return. This world isn't ready for something as powerful as the Crystals; I was there at the docks watching them and the others too had unknowingly tripped the crystal's power, but not to the severity of Jack."

"It seems as though Helen left that detail out when telling us what had happened." Pierre growled in his throat, crossing his arms and staring hard in the direction that Helen had walked in.

"We need to leave tomorrow, or else they may fully awaken their power: Without proper training in a world that accepts the kind of power they have, I fear that they will destroy everything around them."

"Tomorrow? Aran, there is still time before you said that we need to leave." Pierre pressed when Aran grabbed his shoulder hard.

"Jin listen to me! I stayed behind to watch the young men that Jack had defeated; from what I've come to understand of people in this world, they don't trust nor do they accept people like you and me. They are terrified of people like us, and it will only cause more trouble if we stay much longer." Aran argued. Pierre roughly pulled his arm away, clenching his right hand remembering that he had already taken off the heavy claw.

"I'll convey the message to the others, so be ready to meet where I came with anything you will need." Pierre sighed heavily and shook his head, his upper lip swelling slightly as he pushed his tongue between his teeth and lip.

"I'll meet you there." He finally said while Aran nodded and disappeared. Dark Lord leapt into the air and then was propelled forwards with what looked to be a hex made of lavender light, heading back home.

"_'…And so when the time is near, the power of those blessed with their power will show itself as a sign that the final battle is nearing fruition.' I guess there's no going against it now. What would you do master?"_ Jin thought as he leapt through the darkness back home, only met by the silence of the night air.

* * *

The Mage's whispers seemed pleased as he tapped his finger on the arm of his chair while he sat watching everything from his crystal ball.

"Why not give them a taste of what they're in for if things are progressing so nicely?" Eleanor asked silkily. The Mage turned his pale red eyes to her, narrowing them as if to ask 'why'?

"Why not let them see if they can handle themselves against your pawn the Stump King? If they can't hold their own against that dried up log, then there's no use in calling them here." The Mage growled low in his throat approvingly, while whispers arose around her. Eleanor smiled back, sitting covetously on the arm of his throne, running her long black nails along his jaw line and turning his face to her, hovering just above where she guessed his lips to be.

"Indeed, it is an endeavor worth trying."

* * *

The next morning woke up with everything in a haze. Matthew walked down and found that the house had been cleaned top to bottom and all the furniture was missing. Outside were dark clouds that drifted over head making everything that he saw even stranger; even the computer had been unhooked and was missing. John and Yasmin walked in the front door, with dust streaked down their faces from sweat while a Salvation Army 18 wheeler pulled away from the front of their house. The only thing that remained in the house was the phone.

"Oh, Son. You're up."

"Dad? What's going on? And where is all our stuff?" Matthew asked looking around at the patchwork faded carpet where the furniture used to be.

"Matthew, listen… we are…"before John had a chance to finish speaking the phone rang, splitting the high tension in the room. Matt quickly answered it, discovering that it was Jack on the other end.

"_Hey man, you'll never believe what my mom just did."_

"I bet it's not any stranger then what's going on at my house."

_"What's going on there?"_

"My folks just gave everything away to charity. _EVERYTHING_ man."

_"You're kidding right? My folks just did the same thing. Jenny and Olsen called a bit ago telling me the same thing. I bet Helen is having the same problem."_ just as jack was finishing his sentence, the phone beeped.

"Hang on man, there's another call on the line. Hello?"

_"Matt? It's Helen. You'll never believe what my gramps just did."_

"Lemme guess, a truck for the Salvation Army just pulled away from your house with everything in it."

_"How'd you know?"_

"Jack just called saying that the others are having the same problem."

_"I'm telling you it's SO not fair! My mom gave away my fav…"_ the phone line suddenly went dead, leaving an annoying beeping in the receiver. Matt hung up the phone and turned back to his parents after trying to get the phone working again by tapping the hook a few times.

"Ok, what in the hell is going on?" Matthew demanded. John sighed heavily.

"Listen, that game you've been playing. It's not just a game, it's a tutor for…" suddenly the clouds began to gather gathered into a funnel above a tree in their front yard with black light pulsing in the center of it. John quickly grabbed a large backpack and then grabbed Matt and Yasmin by the wrist as the wind became stronger, slowly beginning to howl.

"We have to go now!" John bellowed, leading them out of the house, tearing down the front walkway. Matthew never questioned his father, but right now was going to be an exception; He pulled his hand from John's monster strength and stopped just in front of the large oak in their front yard.

"Dad, what's going on!? The same thing happened at the school. What is…" a peel of lightning threaded its way down from the clouds and struck the tree leaving a gapping and jagged hole where it had struck. Matthew shook his head trying to get the ringing out of his ears but when he looked up, all the leaves died and fell from its branches and the bark dried faster than anything he had seen. An ethereal thrum pulsed in the air as the roots pulled from the ground only to slam back down as though it were alive. Two more holes began to appear above where the lightning had struck while the trunk crackled and popped with each movement it made. John's skin went pale and his eyes went wide: he knew exactly who this was, and his son was nowhere even close to being ready to even attempt to take this spirit on. In a flash of bluish gold light, John appeared beside Matt and then dragged him back with the same blur of speed just as a thick root came crashing down were Matt had been a moment before. John then grabbed Yasmin's hand and began running in the direction of the school. The tree let out an otherworldly scream as the roots pulled the trunk free and began walking out into the road, its roots wriggling around on the pavement. Matthew looked back at what the tree had become seeing a strange red cloth appear around its upper bows followed quickly by a few balls of dark light that floated around the top. The tree turned and faced him with faintly glowing pupils but it was only then that Matthew recognized what, or rather, who it was that he was seeing: it was the boss monster from the dry deserts of Perion, Stumpy! But, Stumpy was just a character in a massive online game wasn't he? If that was the case, then what in the world was he doing here? Stumpy stopped and then opened his splintered mouth while a golden light gathered at the back of the throat. John looked back and then forced everyone to the ground just as a beam of gold light shot over them and melted a parked car in front of them. Stumpy screamed and got up on his roots, weaving his way down the street to them while they ran for the school. A scream split the air making Matthew turn to see that Helen was being held up in a thick root and slowly being squeezed to death. Helen's Parents called out to her, unsure of what to do as Glen looked around trying to prepare a spell to attack but everything that he tried would be interrupted by Stumpy's roots. Matt pulled free of John's grip, picking up a branch that had fallen on the ground when a black streak cut the root and then appeared on the ground with Helen in his arms. Glen finally had the time to stop and ready a spell, hitting the tree square in its face with a wall of flames, knocking it back to the ground the ground. The man put Helen down, and she was about to thank him when she thought he looked familiar. His grey eyes were a tip off, but the clothes he wore and the wings protruding from his back made it hard to know who she was seeing. Olsen came running up a second later, trying to catch his breath.

"I thought I told you to keep up." The man said harshly.

"Sorry dad, I really didn't think that you'd be able to outrun me like that." Helen and Matthew took a closer look at the man standing before them and then realized they were seeing and _talking_ to Dark Lord the Ninja Master of MapleStory! Or was it just a really good costume?

"I like your costume Mr. Da'Lor. Are you guys going to an Anime Convention or something?" Dark Lord was about to respond when Stumpy began to move again, bringing roots forwards to set himself upright.

"Dances! Quickly! The others are already there waiting for us!" Glen shouted already grabbed Helen's Parents and teleported then to the spot while John picked up Yasmin and Matt as though they were play things and began running. Dark Lord, Helen and Olsen disappeared began running as fast as they could to keep up with John. When they arrived at the school yard, the others had already gathered in the center of the crater in the football field surrounded by police caution tape, persistently being pestered by a guard standing there.

"Look I don't care if you're the president's daughter on a family picnic lady, this area is strictly off limits. Leave now or I will have no choice but to arrest you for trespassing." The cop agued with Carrie.

"And I will say it only one more time, we're not moving. We need to be here and that is that." She said putting her hands on her hips when the cop saw the others hurriedly running for the circle, grunting with an annoying sigh.

"Look you to need to stay out of the area." But since no one was listening to him he quickly radioed in for backup.

"What took you so long Dark Lord? Missing a Shuriken?" Glen asked with a laugh in his voice. John set his family down as Pierre set Helen down and Olsen skidded to a stop.

"No, we've got company." Pierre said pointing back behind him as Stumpy came swashing through the grass around the school building.

"Oh… That. Yes that is a bit of a problem." An effort filled grunt echoed through the air as four large icicles careened into the dried out tree and then a wave of ice covered him in a thick sheet leading all the way back to a man wearing a cape and holding a gold decorated halberd with white hair and striking light blue eyes.

"Get started, I'll hold him off until you're ready to go!" Aran called as stumpy soon began to wiggle and break his way free of the thick ice. The five just looked at each other: first stumpy appears, and then Olsen's dad is unexplainably able to cut through a thick tree root, and Glen was able to knock it back with a blast of flames, and now the legendary hero from MapleStory Aran suddenly appears holding off the same tree with ice that came out of nowhere. Were they all really the real thing? Quickly the five Masters pulled their weapons from where ever they stored them and held them over the center of the crater, calling out a city and their name as then put their hands in the center.

"Athena Peirce, Henesys!"

"Dark Lord, Kerning City!"

"Dances with Balrog, Perion!"

"Grendal the Ancient, Ellina!"

"Kyrin, Port of Nautilus! Oh Power of Minerva hear us! Let us travel from here to where we belong!" Suddenly the clouds began to twist around into a funnel above them, small yellow balls of light above gathering into one bigger one. Stumpy reached out a root but was suddenly shot backwards from a beam of blue light that shot from Aran's weapon, sending Stumpy sliding backwards as Aran lunged after him again. Four squad cars pulled into the grass facing the group there and pulled their weapons, standing behind the doors and shouting over their loud speakers.

"Step out if the circle calmly, or we will need to use force." John looked over to them and was about to tell them to run when the cop was taken by surprise as Stumpy suddenly appeared from behind the group, reaching a root around the ground and tossing his squad car like a paper plane. Grendal pulled his staff from the center, swinging as though he had thrown something when two pairs of three scratch marks appeared across his face. The scratches made Stumpy reel back for a moment allowing Aran to pummel the tree with a series of quick slashes and then beam the tree again. Grendal returned his staff to the center making of the group so the ball of light in the center of the clouds once again grew. When the ball of light had solidified, a whine climbing in pitch began humming in the air making it painful to hear.

"ARAN! IT IS READY!" called Dances above the noise of the fight and the noise of what hovered above them. Aran looked back and in one hard swing split the tree in half then flashed to above the center of the group just as the light once more beamed down on them all. The ground shook like an earthquake was ripping through the town for a few seconds, but just at it had come it vanished and the clouds returned to their normal patrol. Some of the officers went over to the tree that now laid split on the field as if it were normal, save for a scorch mark where the lightning had hit.

"What the _HELL_ was that?" Helston asked as he poked at the tree with a branch that had broken off to make sure that it wasn't going to rise up again.

"That Helston, was an alien." The Sheriff said as he placed a heavy hand on Helston's shoulder.

"What about the ones that disappeared?" The sheriff took his hat off and laid it over his heart.

"They were its target Helston. They are no more. The Mother ship must have vaporized them."

* * *

The Black Mage slammed his hand down on the arm as the mask that he wore around the aura which made up his face creaked from clenching his jaw before grabbing the nearest thing he could reach for and hurling as hard as he could at the wall, shattering the glass statue into thousands of pieces. He growled under his breath while one of his skelegon servants waddled in with a golden platter and a glass of a special Mana potion that Eleanor had made for him. He took the challis before holding up his free hand and slowly clenching it, making the creature crumble and snap into pieces. Calmly he walked to a window that overlooked the now desolate island of Ereve as it floated on the waters; without the power of Shinsoo and the Empress Cygnus, it was nothing more than another piece of land. Eleanor came walking in, heavily swinging her hips with each step just as she usually did and pulling back the hood that covered her red eyes, sinister silver hair and young beautiful face.

"Why are you letting yourself become so worked up over this? It's nothing more than a distraction. The Stump King is only alive when it has a tree to control. Beyond that he is nothing more than a floating orb." She said holding out her slender hand as an orb with a small flame above it appeared. Whispers hissed around her as he held up his hand, cracking his knuckles as he clenched his hand.

"While it may have been to give them a taste, there was never any guarantee that they would be the ones to attack, and not the Masters." Eleanor answered, placing her hands on The Mage's shoulder and resting her chin on her hands. Thoughtfully he drank another mouthful, questioning whispers rising in the air, almost sounding as though her were trying to suppress his irritation.

"So far, nothing has turned up in the search. The Wyverns have been searching day and night and still nothing has come of it. Are you sure that they're still above ground?" Eleanor questioned, as the Black Mage shook his head and sipped again on the potion. Eleanor backed up slightly, bowing before disappearing in a cloud of vapors.

* * *

Helen stirred slightly, slowly opening her eyes but quickly closing then again from the light making her head hurt like a hammer had just hit it. She groaned a bit as the pain came again, putting her hand to her forehead and began to message as she tried to sit up.

"Lay down young lady. You've got quite a bump there… or is a lump?" a man's voice said as a cool something was pressed to her head that smelled of bitter herbs and some other less then pleasing things and was pressed down to the bed once again. She tried to get up again but the same voice this time sounded ore commanding.

"You are to stay here for a while until that lump of yours heals over the scratches." It said and pushed her back down on the bed with slightly more pressure. But this didn't feel like a hand, it felt like a paw: she opened her eyes a bit more and was met face to face with a panda wearing a blue kimono, an orange over coat with wide eyes and wild tuft of fur on the top of his head.

"I must have hit my head pretty hard. I'm hallucinating that a Panda wearing an orange over coat is taking care of me." Helen mumbled. The Panda looked around as though trying to find something.

"Where? I don't see him." Helen picked up her hand and pointed at him.

"It must be bad because I think I hear it talking."

"You think I'm the panda in the orange overcoat taking care of you?" Helen nodded as the Panda got up and looked in a mirror hanging on the wall, rubbing its chin and looking left to right.

"Well, you're right about the orange coat. Handsome fella." He said as he came back and sat down. Just then another panda poked its head in through the cloth door.

"Mr. Do, Tae Sang needs your help. There are more warriors returning then he can handle."

"Tell him I'll be right there." The Panda got up, then turned back to Helen and said.

"I'm Mr. Do. It's a pleasure to meet you. Now stay there until I come back." Helen couldn't help but feel intrigued; sure she had hit her head pretty hard, but there was a panda talking to her for goodness sakes! She wanted to find out if what she was seeing was indeed real, or if it was just a very vivid hallucination. However as she sat up, she began to hear whispers, or even echoes of whispers coming from a long way off and then the whispers became a single, clear, female voice.

"Welcome home child." the voice said, and then died away in the same eerie whispers.

"_Welcome home? I don't even know where I am and yet this voice is telling me 'welcome home'?_" she shook her head and steadily stood to her feet and carefully walked to the door, pushing aside the cloth door. What it revealed hundreds of people walking, running or limping around a campsite with more pandas or people running to and fro; some had bowls of herbs and other ointments; others were treating wounded soldiers including strange short men with either bandannas or red French captain's hats. As she walked through the camp, several of them that saw her would bow to her, or small children would run up to her asking if she was the one that was promised to them years before they were born. She could only shrug as she continued on with some of the children held her hand as she walked presently coming to where the other four of her friends were facing the same situation of having some of the creatures, people and children all swarming them or bowing to them as they walked passed.

"Where were you sleepy head?" asked Jack who was carrying a small girl in his arms with fire red hair.

"I'm not sure… I woke in some hut were a Panda names Mr. Do was taking care of me. Am I the only one seeing this? All these pandas and weird short guys all around?" Matt shook his head.

"No Helen, this is real. I have no Idea where… wait, did you say the panda's name was Mr. Do?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Was he wearing a blue Kimono with an Orange over coat?" Olsen asked making Helen and Jenny raise their eyebrows.

"What are you getting at Matt?" asked Jack.

"Mr. Do was the medicine creator in MapleStory from Mu Lung, you know, the one that give you a book of medicines?"

"Are you talking about Mr. Do? He's a great medicine maker, even though he looks like his head is full of sea water." Said a rough voice from a short man with a huge mustache and his hat was so low over his eyes that all one could see was his bulbous red nose; he also had a hook for one hand and peg leg that had been polished and worn. Helen was about to continue to ask questions when Carrie came running up to them dressed in a fine red leather corset and snug fitting black short shorts which sported a wide belt that holstered a pistol on her hip, and black thigh high boots. Completing her get up was a fur trimmed cape and red 18th century captain's hat.

"Jack, there you all are… I've been looking all over for you. Come with me, we all need to have a talk with you."

"Uh… Mom? What with the skimpy clothes? Are you trying to dress like Kyrin from MapleStory?"

"Just follow me. It'll all make sense in a minute." She answered. Skeptically the five of them followed Carrie through the bushes and underbrush until they came to a dock where all their parents stood; at least they seemed to be their parents. Helen eyed the person who looked to be her grandfather, hovering in mid air with a tall white hat sporting a golden star, wearing a white robe and holding an old weathered staff. Matthew was taken aback by his father dressing as an Indian chief, sporting a long head dress and holding a tomahawk and shield with nothing but a deer skin loin cloth on while a huge sword rested across his back. Jenny looked around for a moment spotting someone who looked like her mom, but she was so different looking that she hardly recognized her: she wore a brown long-sleeved shirt with a white cowl around her neck, a fitted green skirt with a split on either side going up to her hips and sturdy hiking boots while a weathered bow was slung around her shoulders, not to mention that her ears were now pointed, much like an elf. Olsen was the least confused, finding the man that he had seen before when they were being attacked by that tree thing, Stumpy.

"Ok… I'd really like to know what the _HELL_ is going on here. If you guys are trying to pull some elaborate trick…"

"This isn't a trick, Jenny." Said a strong voice at which their entire group of their parent's bowed to the knee. From behind a tree stepped Aran with his trusted halberd across his back and his faithful white wolf at his side.

"And who are you a paid actor or something?" asked Jack.

"No Jack. I am not a Paid Actor. I am Aran, and your parents, these five that you see kneeling here, are the Five Masters of Ossyria. Welcome back to your home, our saviors: The Guardians of Ossyria." Aran replied as he too dropped to one knee and bowed to them.


	5. Chapter 4: All's Past, Your Past

Chapter 4: All's Past, Your Past, and Choices…

Jenny was the first to break to odd silence that hung thick in the air after all of their parents knelt to then as though they were some kind of royalty.

"Are you kidding me? That is the biggest load of crap that I've heard; you're all just really good actors making up this entire world through special effects and props. I bet these trees aren't even real!" she said walking over to one, pushing as hard as she could to try and push it over. But no matter what she tried, it wouldn't budge. She then ripped off a branch to prove that it was a paper mache fake, but it quickly began leaking out sap. Throwing it to the side she then began digging furiously at the ground, trying to find a stage bottom or something. Matthew and Jack soon caught her disbelief and began looking around for cameras, lights, crew members, and costume designers… anything that would tell them that what they were seeing was just something made up by their parents. But every where they searched only turned up more of the same: they really were in another world. Forty five minutes later the five of them stopped searching and came back.

"So if we are really where you say that we are, and you are really who you say you are, show us proof." Olsen angrily spat. The five masters guided their children away from each other, each taking them to a part of the forest where none of the others would interfere with each other and possibly confuse one another.

Jenny's choice

Athena walked a good thirty minutes before she turned around and faced her daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder as she spoke.

"Jenny; do you know why I have been teaching you archery? Do you even know why you have been playing the game MapleStory?" Jenny looked at her mother strangely: was this a trick question? Besides that, she never thought she would need a reason for playing one of her favorite games

"Uh, because it's a good way to stay in shape, and because it's fun to play?" Jenny asked. Athena smiled and sighed nostalgically.

"Jenny, my sweet, sweet Jenny; how I often wish I could return to your innocence. I have been teaching you the bow because of who you were destined to be, because of what runs in your blood. My name isn't Tine Price; it is Athena Peirce, the Bow Master of Henesys on Victoria Island." Jenny still looked at her mother with deep apprehension, unsure whether or not to believe; what was she trying to pull?

"Don't you trust me Jenny?"

"I'm not sure; your telling me that you supposed to be someone from a game, a fictitious person." Athena then nodded and held her hand to the sky while a blue cloud of something swirled into existence on the palm of her hand while slowly spinning into the sky and turning red.

"Then let me prove it to you." Athena answered. The cloud in her hand shot straight into the sky, seeming to pierce through the sky itself into some other dimension. A few seconds later, a crimson Phoenix flew through the portal, hovering in the air above her with blazing eyes and a dull heat emanating from its body. With a lift of her hand the Phoenix turned it head until its keen eyes locked onto a fallen tree covered in moss and released a blaze of hot flames that reduced it to nothing but ashes and the scorched ground below. The Phoenix looked to Athena who nodded, then flew back through another portal it created once it had received approval from Athena. A green fern-like glow lit up around her eyes as Athena then took the old Kandiva from her back and drew the bow. The same blue cloud-like substance flared around her hands and then began engulfing the bow which slowly took on the form of what looked to be a great dragon where the arrow would be. When she released the arrow, the substance turned a bright green and let out a roar as it screamed trough the trees, leaving a charred, glowing path where the arrow had been. Athena then pulled from her quiver six arrows and drew them all while turning to face a tree quite a ways behind her. The same blue glow arose, but this time engulfed the arrows themselves. Just as she stopped turning, she let go of the sinews and the arrows turned into what looked to be a bright white light. Even though she had let all of them go, one by one they fired into the tree looking as if the light exploded once they hit their intended target, blasting holes in the wood. Jenny was stunned: her Mother was the actual Athena Peirce! The bow master from her favorite game!

"Wow…" she whispered, walking over to the tree and looking over the craters in the wood and bark.

"Now do you believe me Jenny? I didn't teach you the bow just because it was an excellent physical exercise, I taught you the bow because you were born with that ability. Everything that I have shown you here you too will be able to do, but it will take much training; far more then you have been exposed to back in the other world. So I will ask you now: are you able to stand and take up the heavy mantel that has been offered to you? Are you willing to accept that _you_ are to carry on my legacy?" Athena asked, holding out the Kandiva to her. Jenny slowly rose to her feet after tripping in awe as she came back and put out her hands, slowly wrapping her soft, non-callous hands around it feeling as though an ancient power was flowing through her coming from the bow. Athena slowly let Jenny take the weight of the bow and backed away with a proud light in her eyes.

"Wow, this thing's heavier than it looks." Jenny commented, looking over the metal frame and pausing for a moment as her eyes caught a glint of the huge gem set in the center of the bow before holding it up and drawing it slightly.

"That is the weight of the future set before you. It will be some time before you are ready to use this bow properly, but with time, you will be a better bow master then even I."

Olsen's Choice

It was nearly forty five minutes until Jin and Olsen stopped trekking through the heavy brush and trees, leading them to a quiet spot near the shore.

"Olsen, have you ever wondered what it was that you were destined to do?" Olsen picked himself up from leaning on his legs to catch his breath.

"I always had this feeling that I wasn't going to stay in Ohio. But something like this was never in my wildest dreams."

"That isn't quite what I meant Olsen. Have you ever wondered why I taught you the sacred art of the Ninja?" Olsen raised his eye brows as he thought about it for a moment: the art was a nice way fo keeping fit, and it didn't hamper his chances with the ladies on their running team.

"I guess I've never really paid it much thought only because I knew it would get me points with my gym teacher."

"That's one way to look at it. Another is because the Ninja arts were always a part of who you are: within you, you have a power that far outweighs even my own." Olsen narrowed his eyes: one of the things that he father had always taught him about the Ninja Arts was to be suspicious of anything that sounded too far outside of what you knew about any person.

"So what exactly is it? I'm still unsure what you're telling me is really true." Jin closed his eyes for a moment, but when he opened them again a determined light shone in his eyes as a blue haze appeared around his hand wearing some sort of partially armored glove. Three Shuriken suddenly appeared in his hand as he hurled them into a tree behind him, the streaks of fire followed after them wrapping around the trunk of the tree and burning it to a crisp. More of that blue haze engulfed another shuriken Jin had drawn, suddenly making it grow into a large six point star glowing an eerie green color while vapors rose from the metal. Jin grunted as he threw it straight at the tree he had thrown the other three stars at, and cut straight through it as well as three another trees behind it. Jin then disappeared in a blur of color, catching the giant star which then shrank back down to its normal size while a blue haze dispersed into the air. A moment later he stood by Olsen, offering the glove he had been wearing to him still defusing the blue substance that it had been engulfed in a moment before.

"I am Dark Lord Jin, Master of the Ninja Arts of Kerning City. Ahead of you are trials and tasks that are far more rigorous and dangerous then you have ever encountered before. What I have shown you is only a small taste of what you will be able to accomplish, however you must endure training of a much higher caliber then you are used to; you may even have to kill. Are you willing to accept the path that has been set before you?" Dark Lord asked sternly. Olsen wasn't really sure that he was ready to accept what it was that he had seen before him, but he had nothing to lose. Slowly he took the heavy glove from his father and slipped it on, surprised at the weight of it that brought his hand down at a sluggish pace until he could only let his hand hang at his side.

"Remember the weight of that Claw, The Skanda. For in it, as well as the dagger Dark Mate, lays the weight of your future and the future of everyone here in Ossyria."

Helen's Choice

Greandal floated over the matted leaves and shrubs while Helen followed behind the best that she could until her grandfather stopped near a peaceful lake, headed by a babbling brook. She had felt agitated ever since Aran had told her she was supposed to be: the savior of some alleged world which she didn't want. She tried to keep it under control, but with the lengthy walk and lack of explanation it was becoming harder and harder to do so.

"Do you know what it is that you are being asked to do?" he asked in a much more serious tone than usual, his voice having a clarity that he had never spoken with before. Helen could only stare at him, taking a breath, letting it out with an agitated huff.

"You were born with the power of a great Mage in you, far more powerful then I could ever be…"

"Is this all part of a scheme? Look gramps, this needs to stop now; I want to go back home where I belong." Helen interrupted.

"Helen, you are home. This is where your blood line comes from. This is where I am from, and you are the last hope for this world. You have a power that no other in this world or any other can ever wield. Do you think that I would make this up?"

"I don't know, are you? Everything about my life for 18 years was normal, then all of a sudden there's this beam of light in our school yard, then Jack goes all weird glowing status on us, and then we're whisked away to some weird place that you say is our home?!" Helen angrily questioned.

"Then I ask you if this will make you believe in what you were born to do." Grendal said as he raised his hand with a small pulsing orb coming into existence on his hand. With a quick thrust he sent it careening through the trees, blowing holes straight through trunks. With a sweep of his staff at a tree behind him, six claw like streaks appeared on the trunk, crossing over each other. He then held the staff at arm's length and reached up as though drawing a bow while a bright bluish light surrounded the staff and shaped an arrow. When he let it go the arrow struck another tree and blew half of the trunk aside as he then swept his arms up, opening portals in the sky allowing a maelstrom of meteors to strike the same tree leaving it in a pile of smoldering ashes.

"So if I understand you, what you're saying is that I could do those very things?" Helen asked. Grendal nodded, but Helen quickly shook her head in agitation throwing her hands down and looking back at Grendal angrily.

"Look; magic and things like you are telling me that I could do only exist in movies and fantasy novels. I'm not going to stand here and have you make an idiot out of me because you want me to be some sort of 'world savior'. I'm an 18 year old senior in high school who has a promising career in English literature!" frustrated tears began to fall down her cheeks as she spoke.

"If you think that you can just pick up and suddenly lay this huge weight on my shoulders, you're dead wrong! You can keep your fairy tales and wizardry to yourself!"

"Helen, will you listen to what I have to say?"

"No, just…" With tears streaming down her face Helen ran off into the forest, running as fast as her legs could carry her in whatever direction that would get her out of this place and back to her home, her _real_ home. It seemed like it was only a moment but she found herself running back through the village: running, running, running away from it all. When she finally stopped, it sounded as if it were a secluded dock where bamboo boats sat tied down bobbing and bumping against the wood of the dock while water lapped around the posts holding up the walk way.

"I just want to go home…" she said as she knelt down and hugged herself, feeling cold from the thick mist that hung in the air.

Jack's Choice

Jack and Kyrin stayed near the village, only moving away a little ways before she turned back to face him, her arms, legs, and shoulders bulging slightly as she tensed.

"I'm guessing that you are a bit confused about what happened to you at the docks the other day back in Ohio right?" Jack slowly nodded as the fuzzy memory came to him, still able to see bits a pieces of what had happened, unable to make sense of any of it.

"All I can remember is suddenly feeling something come over me: like this, warm blanket or power that wanted to get out. It almost felt like I blacked out, just doing things that I had no idea how to do. The strangest thing I remember was grabbing hold of those guns and firing, but they sounded like cannons instead of just guns." Kyrin nodded.

"That was the latent power that resides inside of you. Everything that I have been teaching you is not just to keep you in shape. It's been preparing you for the battle that lays ahead. Far more is going to be asked of you then you ever could imagine, even more so then when the gym teacher got pissed off at you." Jack laughed as he remembered: he had been told to run around the school's running track until he dropped, finally falling to the floor after 46 laps.

"So I've been really meaning to ask ma: are you like trying to pull some elaborating trick or something? Cause, and I know this is going to sound totally out of line, you look a little like a… call girl." Kyrin laughed. Murihat and Black Bart had said the same thing when they had seen her dress like that for the first time too.

"It's alright. To tell the truth, my father Black Bart would rather see me in a dress. I don't mind a dress every now and again, but being that many of my abilities require freer movement of body rather than coverage; this suits me better." Jack raised his eye brow in confusion. He had known Black Bart from his game MapleStory, but now his mom was saying that he was her father? It was all beginning to become blurred and rather confusing.

"Where are you going with this mom? I'm really lost." Kyrin took a breath and let the cloak fall from her shoulders and then tossed aside her hat to reveal a bright red bandana tying back her hair. From under her belt she pulled a pair of gloves with a plate over the hand that resembled a maple leaf and edged with gold. From the end of the plate, two blades shot out shining in the small bit of sunshine that shone down through the tightly bunched trees of the forest. Once Kyrin had fully latched the gloves to her hands as a blue glow surrounded her arms and gloves. In a blur of speed followed by a quick rushing breeze, Kryin appeared at a tree: in less than a second, she had reduced the trunk to splinters with a series of quick yet powerful punches, then back flipped as the tree was broken from its stump and forced to the ground with another hard, blue flaming punch. Jack was stunned into silence until Kyrin jumped into the air letting out a climbing scream as she descended, driving the blades into the ground which then exploded in multiple places along the trunk of the fallen tree. She then reached to her hip and drew the pistol, pointing it at another tree and cocking back the hammer while she turned to face it. The gun glowed with the same odd blue when the gun thundered with a tremendous noise. Two golf ball sized holes simultaneously appeared in the trunk. In another blur Kyrin then aimed the gun at another tree and pulled the trigger while the gun blazed a violet color, firing off rounds into trees as though it were a machine gun. She quickly holstered the gun and knelt to one knee, clenching her fist as tight as she could. Golden light began to appear around her as she then jumped high into the air, the light rising with her in the shape of a dragon head and neck. Once she began to descend, the light plunged into the ground just as she hit making multiple dragon heads begin to appear around them, obliterating the trees around them. Jack slowly turned back to where Kyrin had landed, but instead of seeing her, he saw someone that looked like her made of a golden light, eyes ablaze in white light while her hair stood up above her head, only her bangs hanging around her face.

"I am Kyrin, Master of the Pirates and Captain of the Nautilus." Her voice sounded strange, almost sounding as if it were an ethereal apparition speaking. All at once the glow stopped and she was again just the woman in the red corset. Jack was awe struck; he himself had built a character on MapleStory to a very high level, so he knew what a lot of the attacks looked like in the game; his mother! She was the master of the Pirate Class!

"I get it now. The reason I knew what to do with those guns; why punched those guys out; it was because…"

"Yes Jack; the blood of a pirate runs through your veins. Had you known other skills, you might have killed them or yourself because of the power that far outweighs even mine. The training that you received in Ohio was mere child's play compared to what you will have to endure to save our world. But I know that you can do it." She said, taking the pistol from her hip and laying it in Jacks hands which was still warm from the shots that she had fired.

"This Cannon Shooter is yours to wield once you are ready as are these Knucklers, the Golden Claw once you have been trained and are ready. It will be a long time before you are, but I have faith in you my son." Jack looked over the pistol. Despite its small size, it was deceivingly heavy. He tried holding it up to look down the sights, but even when using both hands, he still had some trouble keeping it up despite his strength. When he let it lay in his hands again, he felt like there was an ancient power flowing within it, making his hands and arms tingle.

"I'll do it." He said with a firm look in his eyes, pulling his lips to the side in a sly grin.

Matthew's Choice

Matthew was becoming more and more confused as they walked further away from the small village. Where was his mother? And where was the rest of his friend's other parents?

"Dad look, I want to know what it going on. Is this really some other world?" Dances stopped and slowly turned around, taking the large sword from his shoulders, propping it against a tree. Once he was sure that it would stay, he then set a heavy hand on Matt's shoulder.

"I know that this is all very confusing to you, but you must know that there are things in _this_ world that are far more evil then words can describe. Do you know why I have been teaching you the Way of the Sword?" Matthew, unsure, shook his head as he eyed his father in even more confusion. When Dance's hand touched the handle, something like bright blue blood vessels appeared all down the blade allowing him to pick it up with just one hand despite being nearly as long as he was tall. A golden light gathered at the guard which then blew outwards with a slight blue tint as Dances drove the edge of the sword down on the ground making it shake from the sheer force of impact. Holding the sword to the sky, a golden light began to surround the sword in a thick ribbon, followed by a ribbon of frosty air, and finally a ribbon of flames that tore into existence all the way to the tip. As the majestic blade was swung, all three ribbons slid from the blade and hit a different tree: One was burnt to ashes, a second was frozen solid, and the third looked as though it were newer, as if breathing on it would defile it. Dances then drove the end of the sword into the ground again and folded his hands at though praying; above him shone a light that was shaped like a hex as a young looking woman appeared from the light and placed her hands on Dances shoulders. He then squatted down as threads of lavender light swirled from his body onto the ground in the shape of another hex while a Dragon's head formed in the center. Matthew was neither prepared for nor expecting the deafening roar that came from the light, knocking him to the ground and blowing him across the ground as the roar continued, flattening the trees all around them. Finally, Dances picked up the sword once more, grunting hard as he swung while a blue cloud swirled around the blade. All at once that cloud turned gold, forming a giant hammer that hit the ground with such force that the ground shuddered for well over 20 seconds after impact. Once the tremors had subsided, Matthew slowly sat up, brushing the leaves from his shirt while Dances stood over him, resting the sword's tip on the ground next to him.

"I am Dances with Balrog of Perion. I am the Master of the Warriors of this world. I am asking you, are you willing to take the task that I, no, that we all are asking you to complete? Within you lies a power that will make even my abilities look small compared to yours. I beg you son, please help us." He said, picking up the sword and holding out the sword pummel first to Matthew. Matthew reached out his hand and took hold of it, feeling something strange wash over him as though some ancient power was flowing within the sword through his arms, searching for something. Dances set the tip on the ground while Matthew struggled to pick it up, barely able to lift the end of it from the ground.

"That is the weight of the Soul Rohen, and of this blade, the Glory Sword, is the weight of the future set before you. It will be many moons before you are ready to wield such weapons. But given time and rigorous training, you will." Matthew looked to Dances and then back at the sword resting in his hands. There was no way that he would be some great war hero. Disgusted, Matthew let the sword drop to the ground with a loud clang that seemed to resound through the area, almost as if it were crying.

"I don't usually question the things that you do, but this is one of them: you're saying that I'm supposed to be some hero that will save the world. I'm not buying it; that thing, that sword is so heavy that I can't even lift it up with both of my hands."

"But son…"

"No! This is crazy! Maybe you bumped your head on something somewhere, or have you forgotten that I am just a kid in high school?" Dances was about to speak more when Matthew just walked away from him. The nerve of that guy! Sure being the son of a city worker always made him somewhat different from the others, but this was taking it too far. How could he just, one day think that he was this awesome warrior? And where the _hell _did he get those abilities of his? Were they just some kind of illusion? Angrily he walked on with questions continuing to mount in his head not even noticing that he was walking to the end of a dock until Helen caught him by the arm and stopped him just before he stepped off.

"Dude where were you? You nearly fell off the dock." Helen asked. Matthew sighed heavily and stepped back a bit, just standing on the edge of the dock looking over the foggy surface of the water.

"I guess your dad told you that you're the savior of this world too huh?" Helen asked timidly. Matthew just shook his head in disbelief.

"What gives them the right to suddenly put this on us, on me? I had a normal life, one that I was proud to call my own. And now all of a sudden he's saying that we've been taken to some other world where we're this "last hope" against some dude called the Black Mage! All this stuff must have really been getting to them since we were always playing MapleStory so much. So far everything that has happened has been from that game."

"I know right? And where do they get the notion that this is all real and not just a story line to a game?" Helen added.

"So you don't believe in who your parents are?" asked Aran stepping quietly out of the blanket of fog.

"No, this is all just a little too farfetched. I mean why someone would just up and take their family to another place when they have a perfectly normal life already?" Helen shot back. Aran nodded; he looked as though he was slightly hurt by her words and took a breath.

"Come… I have something to tell you all, which may make why you have been brought here clearer." Matthew huffed as he turned around and angrily followed Aran shaking his head, followed by a down trodden Helen. It wasn't until they came to a campfire where all the families sat around that their anger was once again kindled. Dark Lord and his son Olsen, Jenny and her mom Athena, Jack and his parents Mark and Kyrin all sat comfortably on fallen logs. Matthew sat across from his parents while Helen sat next to him, away from her folks and her grandfather who she was sure was losing his grip on reality in his old age.

"Masters, Guardians, and your families. I welcome you to Ossyria, the birthplace of many a tale and of great evils. As I am aware, many of you are still greatly confused about what it is that you and your families were brought here for. Some of you may even doubt that this is at all real; but I assure you, it is as real as the hand on your arm. So to make tings clear, I will tell you of things that have passed, from the beginning:

"Centuries ago, there were two Sages who were well versed in the ways of magic, even in spells that were considered dangerous by anyone else: Corus the Black, and Minerva the Gentle. Corus was born to a blacksmith and in his youth took up the trade. But in his young adult years began to develop an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Minerva was the child from the union of a fairy and human, a half fairy living in the same town, after her mother and father had come to hid e away from disapproving people. In her adolescence, Minerva as well began to read every book that she could get her hands on, soon found that she and Corus shared this insatiable thirst. Together they studied countless books that were stored within the town, and when every tome had been read and re-read, they set out together to study abroad, learning spells, fighting techniques, and languages. Through this studying they were able to develop their power, eventually gaining enough knowledge and power to allow them to travel to different dimensions, adding to their already vast knowledge. Through the years of study, their friendship blossomed into deep affections for one another, and were engaged while they had made a short visit to their home town. During one of their outings, they happened upon a world that had no world: it was blank slate that could be formed as they desired. Tachyons floated by without purpose in the air while the sweet smell of untamed power permeated everything else that was in existence. It was then that those two Sages decided to create a world of their own since they themselves had leaned thousands upon thousands spells. Many days passed and soon, massive portions of land were brought from the depths of the endless oceans, trees were planted and small villages were created. It would be 3 decades and millions of spells later that the continent of Ossyria was complete: The Tachyons that had been floating by were given the purpose of maintaining the flow of time within Ossyria from their throne, the Time Capsule which resided over a lake near the center, northern-most part of the continent. The excess power that permeated the air was concentrated into 5 crystals: The Emerald Crystal, the Ruby Crystal, the Pink Quartz, the Amethyst Crystal, and the Dark Crystal. When the powers of these crystals were used equally, they allowed the wielder to make anything; only Minerva or Corus had the power to use them for such a purpose. Once Ossyria had been completed, they returned to their home world where they were married and granted as a gift from their people a stone called the Rubian, which was revered as a sacred item created long before either of them were born. Legends of the stone told that whoever possessed this gem would gain eternal life, but was yet to be proven since most anyone who had ever claimed the Rubian as their own had met an unfortunate end. Despite the Sages being nearly seventy five themselves, they had studied so many spells and gained so much power, the in essence had already gained eternal life and youth. Happily tied together the couple returned to Ossyria where they began a family on an island that floated above the southern-most part of the Victoria called Ereve, The Palace Island in the sky. Corus then began creating animals and creatures of all sorts to fill the empty world, while Minerva created the fairies: some had brilliant feathered wings like Minerva herself which she called the Nymphs. Others resided in the Ellin Forest: the Sylphs had delicate transparent wings that reflected the sunlight into brilliant colors, while the Papilio were similar to the Sylphs, but instead had large butterfly wings. Corus and Minerva then taught their children the ways of life and how to live in the new world that they had created. Near the Northern most part of Ossyria laid a heavy forest where their son Shar and daughter Enian settled down and made homes of their own. However since there were no other people for them to couple with, Minerva went back to her home world and convinced a few of them to come back with her to Ossyria. It wasn't long until many families were created, spreading further and further out in Ossyria but always making sure that their capital within the Victoria province was always kept up. It wasn't long until the people that had populated the area began making temples to honor them, the most prominent of which was in the southern-most part of Victoria, above which Minerva ultimately anchored Ereve. Using the magic that Minerva and Corus taught them, the people then created Stone Golems as guards to watch over the entrance to this temple. 70 years later, the people called themselves the Sharenian in honor of their since passed ancestors, Shar and Enian. Another 400 years passed in peace until one ruler came to power by the name of Sharen III.

"Though he was a good ruler, he sought out the Rubian to watch over it as a high priest of the religion that honored the two Sages who had created their world. Minerva and Corus were aware of his desire for the power that the Rubian could offer and also considered the tales of how those who claimed it as their own ultimately destroyed themselves. However they believed that he would use its power wisely and granted him the gem. But just as the rumors of the gem foretold, the Rubian began corrupting Sharen and turned him against the ways that he held to so dearly in ruling all of Ossyria. He began studying the ways of Black Magic, which even Corus and Minerva didn't want any part of. With this new power at his disposal, Sharen became a tyrant, running the northern most area of Perion into ruin, killing trees and plants and people by the thousands with the evil power that he began to conjure. Concerned that his people would soon rise against him and take his prized Rubian, he took the jewel and wound his way through the endless tunnels to the bottom of his palace were skeletons of his once proud soldiers stood watch as and undead army brought back to life by the twisted Black Magic. When he was sure that he had reached a place deep enough where no one would find it, Sharen then summoned the demon Ergoth to guard the Rubian itself. With his defense set in place, Sharen left and moved his palace above the gem so that the power which it contained would still enable him eternal life and youth. However, some people had learned what it was that had caused Sharen to become the evil tyrant that he was and began gathering soldiers together to retrieve the cursed gem. Minerva soon learned of what was happening to the people of Ossyria and to the leader which led them and answered the pleas for Minerva and Corus' help in retrieving the gem. But when she told Corus of what the people had asked of them, Corus gave her such a cold hearted answered that Minerva wondered if this man was still the man she had married so many years ago.

"So the humans can't control the power of that gem? Ha, I say let their fight be their fight. They were the ones wanted its power, so let them deal with it." Minerva was shocked.

"Corus, how could you be so cold hearted?! These people need our help. If we do nothing they will tear themselves to oblivion."

"Then let them Minerva."

"Corus, what is wrong with you? You never used to be like this."

"Maybe I've just become tired of keeping these puny humans inline all the time Minerva. Have you ever wanted to see what they will do if you let them to their own devices? Why should we have to interfere when something goes wrong in their lives when they are the ones that wanted the power to begin with? Why not just wait and see what they will do and if they destroy themselves, we will start again. But we will make them so that they won't hunger for power; instead they will always listen to us, their gods, and won't ever want to overpower us."

"Corus! How could you say something like that? These people are our children don't forget! Not an object to control!"

"And like children they sometimes need see the consequences of their actions. What will they learn if we constantly help them?" Minerva was heartbroken at Corus' words. With golden tears streaming down her face, she left the Palace Island of Ereve to lead the people who were going to take the Rubian from Sharen.

"Their attack was quickly countered by Sharen's skeleton army lead by a man with a partial skull mask and black robes. The entire day the two sides pounded away at each other, neither side retreating or giving up. Minerva too fought with all she could muster, being singled out by the man in the mask. On the morning of the next day, the army that she led slowly began pushing through the enemy lines until they were making their way into the Palace of Sharen and down into the depths of his dungeon where they would face the terrible demon Ergoth. Minerva did all she could to keep the man in black at bay, but his powers were almost too much for her, some of the spells he used dipping into what she recognized as Black Magic. Conjuring up the last of her Mana, she focused it all into one blast, finally knocking the man out and allowing her reserve armies to advance into the catacombs below leaving the exhausted soldiers behind. With what strength remained, Minerva stumbled to the man and pulled off his mask only to gasp, feeling as though her heart were being torn from her body and broken in half: it was Corus she had been fighting the entire time. when the initial shock calmed, something beneath his scarf caught her eye, and when she pulled it back it revealed that part of his neck had begun to dematerialize from the over use of Black Magic. Drinking a bottle of potion she had made before coming, it restored a large amount of her Mana and allowed her to rush down into the cavern where her comrades were fighting off the demon. With a charge of agonized power she delivered many earth shaking blows to the Demon which knocked him unconscious, hurling him into one of the earthen walls that surrounded them. Unfortunately due to her powers being fueled by the hurt over having to fight her husband, her discretion was compromised and sadly used a few Black Magic spells that she never would have thought of using; but those few spells turned one of her wings angelic wings into a sleek and fearful bat's wing. The army that was led by her carried her out as she broke down into tears while they took the Rubian with them back up the steep stairs outside. But just as they were leaving the mouth of the cave, Sharen met them with Ergoth at his side.

"You dare storm my castle and steal from me what is rightfully mine!?" he thundered. His pale ashen skin and gaunt build made him look more dead than alive, almost as if her were a walking corpse

"Sharen, you are nothing more than a tyrant: have you not seen what you have become? You used to be a good ruler, and now look at you! You've conjured up a demon just to hurt those whom you think is a threat to you!" shouted a man, just barely into his teens.

"I will not stand for this insolence! Ergoth! Destroy them!" Ergoth bowed his head and rushed to them, targeting the weak and shattered Minerva by raising his staff high into the air. But just before it hit, a blur of movement appeared; it was the young man who had spoken out at first, holding back the heavy staff with his golden sword. In another quick motion he cut the staff in two, and then split the skull-like mask of Ergoth, his anchor to this world, making him disappear into vapors. Sharen became afraid once his demon body guard was gone and ran into his castle with a wild scream, never to be seen or heard from again as he set fire to the castle and burned it to the ground.

"Thank you, young man. What is your name?" Minerva asked once she was able to hold herself on her own strength.

"Triston, Your Highness." He replied. Minerva smiled gratefully yet sadly

"Please just call me Minerva, Triston." She smiled sadly, allowing herself to be brought her back to Orbis by the soliders where some of the fairies caught wind of what Corus had done to their beloved Minerva, and sealed him away deep into the Minar Forest. With the fall of the Sharenain Empire, Ossyria began to show signs that it was slowly falling into chaos without a leader. These were her people and she wanted to lead them, but they had elevated her to the status of a goddess and because of that, it seemed the people felt disconnected from her even though her only difference was that she had at her disposal much more power. To quell the chaos, she moved Ereve from its hovering position over what was now known as the "Golem's Temaple" and enabled it to become mobile, moving her own palace to the cloud city of Orbis where the Nymph fairies lived. She then created Shinsoo, a powerful Feather Dragon who would serve as the crown to whomever was Emperor or Emperess by sharing his power with that person, as well as enabling Ereve to move at the will of the one ruling. For 300 years the land was peaceful: using the power of the five crystals, Minerva created the town of Ludibrum which was built in the Time Sphere's lake just south of the Temple to house the powerful force of time. She then created the toys which would become the guardians of the city who put the Sphere in the bottom most part of their grand city made of interlocking bricks, where it was watched over by the King Chrono, Alishar and his underlings. Soon after, wondrous toys began coming from the factories of Ludibrum bringing joy to hundreds of children. Unfortunately, small sicknesses began to spread which then spurred Minerva to plant the Mu Lung Garden on the south eastern most part of the continent, where powerful medicines and potions were created by the Pandas who lived there so the people could be cured, or push themselves harder in their training. Two years later in The Minar Forest, the small tree village of Leafre was formed to watch over the eggs of the dragons since they all required special care and later became a safe haven for all dragons to have their eggs guarded until they were hatched, guarded by the attentive Hafrings. Soon after, the forest also became a safe haven for Saia, the Nine Spirits Dragon, who had come to them after fleeing her own world. In return for Minerva allowing her to stay in this world, she became the Guardian of the Minar Forest as a whole, even able to erect and maintain a barrier around the entire forest should the need arise.

"The people wanted to honor and thank their creator for all that she had done for them over the centuries which they called "Goddess Minerva" because of her vast powers. To do this they built a tower that connected the floating Palace City of Orbis with the winter wonderland of El Nath. Commemorating the completion of that tower, they hued a statue of the Goddess from a single piece of grey marble in a near perfect resemblance with addition of a large staff in its right hand and an orb in its left. After 300 years of a peaceful existence, there began to arise rumors and stories among the people, saying that there had been sightings of a man dressed in black clothing walking in an industrious town, deep within arid Nihal Desert. Minerva quickly looked into the matter, but little if no information beyond what she had been heard through word of mouth ever surfaced. As the months passed, she began to felt that there was an evil presence growing in the desert, and it felt eerily similar to the power that Corus had used when she fought him for the Rubian. She knew that if she were to fight this power on her won, she might lose and the people of Ossyria would perish, and so to help guard against this unknown danger she asked of the people who would be willing to stand and protect the Land of Ossyria. Hundreds came in answer to her call, but ultimately only five people were chosen; Luminous, the Mage of Light; Evan, the Dragon Master; Mercedes, Queen of the Elves and Athena's teacher; the Thief Phantom, and I, Aran the Halberd Wielder formed the Goddess's personal guard core called the Heroes of Ossyria. We were from then on taught and trained by Minerva herself, given items and abilities to better prepare us for whatever might come our way. The only item that I carry that wasn't given to me by her is this halberd here, Maha. The training was long and hard and often left us in stitches, but the results were nothing less than magnificent; each of us had the power of a hundred soldiers. So with the mission Minerva charged us with of guarding Ossyria we stood watch, ever vigilant against the rumors of this man dressed in black and his followers; an Organization calling itself 'The Black Wings'.

"The one place Minerva could go to escape the pressures and fears of Ossyria even if it were only for a few moments was the Tower; she would sit and admire the craftsmanship in making such a statue with her trusted Guardian Beast Eliza at her side; a black cat-like creature I had never seen before she had rescued from a vicious attack. From time to time people, fairies and even a few creatures would come to visit with the goddess. But one of these creatures, the Pixie Father, came to visit her. I never liked him, nor did Eliza or any of the other Heroes for that matter. However Minerva had told us that every creature should have the chance to be proven a trustworthy soul. Against my conscience, we heroes allowed him to enter the tower and be in the company of Minerva. However he began to take the hospitality he was shown for granted visiting more and more often, persistently asking her for something that she had created called The Water of Life. Minerva rarely used this powerful substance, and even when she did she only used it to bring something that she had created to life. The Pixie Father kept asking, pleading even for this substance so that he could make more of his kind and help keep the magic of Orbis intact. But time after time Minerva refused him, at one point having to ask us to escort the dirty old pixie from the tower after he had tried to seduce the Goddess so that she would give him the Water of Life. From then on, not much was seen of the Pixie Father except for the occasional appearance around the outskirts of Orbis. One night not long after his banishment of the tower, the statue that Minerva prized so much was turned to rubble. Every one of us heroes was on high alert and searched everywhere that night for any clues that would lead us to who had done this, since any kind of destruction could be a potential distraction from something of greater importance. But the only clue that ever surfaced was a single foot print that had been forced into the stone of the tower. That morning when Minerva came to her usual spot to sit and drink her tea, we told her of what had happened to her statue. Slightly distraught, she asked if we had found the one or ones responsible for this action and could only tell her that we were still searching, with only a foot print at the base of the statue as our only lead. She knelt down and began examining the print, holding her hand above it as though trying to pick up some energy that was left behind. She hadn't been there for more than a moment when she pulled her hand back, cradling it for a moment before holding it out into the light that shone in to reveal that it had been burnt slightly.

"Whoever left this footprint has an evil within him that is growing; even now it feels as if it is permeating the very air around us." Right on time unfortunately, the less than welcome Pixie Father arrived to offer his sympathies to the goddess, even offering the use of the pixies that he himself had raised to rebuild the statue. We advised her to be careful of this being since he had a past of wanting the Water of Life. To our dismay she didn't heed our warnings, or the warnings of her faithful guardian beast, and allowed him to proceed. The Pixie Father then brought hundreds of his children into the tower, saying that since the statue was in so many pieces, he would need to have many hands to rebuild it. Minerva agreed and watched with interest as the little pixies worked quickly in gathering all the pieces into a pile. The Pixie Father then asked if Minerva would pose for him so that he could be sure and get all the pieces in the correct place. No sooner had finished rebuilding it when out of nowhere a small beam of dark light hit the goddess, sealing her inside the very statue the Pixie Father was going to re-create. We Heroes tried to react in not letting the Pixie Father escape with the Water of Life he agreed to in exchange for his work, but his Pixie children over ran us so that we could not prevent him in again dismantling the statue one piece at a time and hiding it within the many walls and floors of the Tower. It took months to recover all the pieces, all the while the rumors of the Man in Black were getting stronger and more frequent. But while we were searhing for the pieces to the statue, the Five Crystals that were stored within the Palace treasury had been taken, being used on the creatures of Ossyria to make them harder to defeat, even going so far as to turn the very toys coming from Ludibrum into rampaging monsters. When we finally recovered all the pieces of the Goddess' Statue, she was released; however she was both furious and disappointed in herself for letting such an obvious trick be played on her. We did the best we could in aiding Minerva to suppress the ever increasing attacks on villages around Ossyria by the Black Wings, but try as we might, our battles would often end in more lives lost then saved, while at the same time re-capturing the Five Crystals that had been stolen. This mysterious person was gaining power and there was no way that we could stop it. One day, a brave bunch of young people came to us, asking to be trained so that they too could aid in trying to stop this mad man. It took time, far longer than the rest of us since we were gifted with the powers of Minerva herself, but with the help of a book she gave us which contained everything that she knew, we transformed that bunch of young people into worthy warriors against this foe, who was calling himself the Black Mage.

"Among those that asked to be trained was a young elfin girl by the name of Athena Peirce, whose village was being pummeled by creatures tainted with the power of Black Magic and came to us in hopes that she could learn somthing. She took a personal interest for the bow at which Mercedes taught her everything she knew about the crossbow, even how to use the energies within her own body as a weapon which Athena then adapted to use with a bow. 10 years past and still the onslaught drug on; day and night we wondered if the battles we fought would be our last as more terrifying creatures began to appear within the ranks of the enemy. Creatures like the Skelegon who were nigh impossible to kill would stomp through village after village like it was nothing, killing anyone that was unable to get away. In one particular battle, the Skelegon armies were far more brutal than usual, killing everyone in sight and sapping every last ounce of our strength. Within that battle I was badly hurt, and quickly taken away from that battle to a refugee camp within the Leafre Forest. By then the Black Mage had grown beyond our power and was setting his sights on the goddess Minerva herself. For six long days the two of them fought ferociously, casting spells that if used by anyone other than the Goddess would tear the world apart and obliterate everyone there. On the morning of the seventh day, The Mage for some odd reason called back his armies and stopped his relentless attack. Minerva was badly injured, and was quickly attended to by the Nymph of Orbis to dress her deep and bleeding wounds.

"These years without me have made you soft, Minerva." The Mage said in an ethereal voice through his mask as he stood over her, while whispers hung in the air after he had spoken.

"Corus? Is that you?" Minerva asked weakly. The Mage just laughed heartily: his body had deteriorated so much that it left a wispy cloud of aura and the bones of his arms to give him any shape. The only thing that remained of his face were the terrible red eyes: only his mask which was of a skull gave his face any form.

"So you do remember. I was worried that you had forgotten about me after all this time. But that name is no longer mine. For these past 310 years I have been practicing and perfecting that art you called forbidden, Black Magic, and look at the power it has given me. You can't even stand on your own two feet let alone raise your imperfect wings. Power is everything Minerva, and if you aren't willing to accept that, you are just as impudent as the humans that we created. You are nothing more than a weak, soft hearted woman who doesn't know when to let things run their course. On top of which, you refuse to show these humans who you really are as their creator. They even call you a goddess and yet you can't even live up to that." Minerva grit her teeth as she reached for a powerful mana restoring potion, drinking the entire bottle which forced her mana capacity beyond what her body could handle. Turning to two of the heroes who were at her side, she then told them to take everyone that they could and gather them in the Victoria Province. The battle that ensued afterwards was horrendous: the two past lovers fought ferociously, each trying to use what power they had against each other. Minerva was using her power to protect everyone that was in Ossyria from the Mage's attacks, while the Mage slowly ebbed away at her mana. Minerva was quickly loosing strength and power, so using what she could after temporarily blinding the Black Mage she split off the Victoria Province and sent it adrift and away from the dark and evil powers of the Black Mage. In doing so, Ludibrum was also set adrift between Victoria and the continent of Ossyria. But even so, the Mage was still a threat to the people that had been left behind in the Minar Forest, despite his fatigue. The other Heroes helped where they could, but they were no match for the terrible power of the Mage since they were a man down.

"All of our powers were likened to the Five Crystals; becoming stronger when all five were used together in a close vicinity. Urging them to go back to the camp, Minerva then dug deep within herself and used her very life force as a source of mana in one final stand against the Black Mage and dealing him a heavy blow, weakening him considerably. Sadly the attacks of the Black Mage were far more then the Goddess could combat and she was killed. Now there stood nothing or no one between the Mage and Ossyria: Once his most powerful of enemies had been dealt with, he returned to the Temple of Time which he had defiled into his own Palace to regain his power. Quickly my comrades began trying to find some way to get the rest of the people to the Island of Victoria quickly and efficiently. The armies of the Black Mage which consisted of Manon Dragons, Wyverns, and his personal favorite the Skelegons began tearing down the forests of Minar to weed out those who would or could oppose The Mage. Someone found that a large cargo ship had been docked near the camp and began loading everyone onto it. It was about that time that I woke to find that Athena was loading everyone onto that ship. In their haste to escape the armies, a child had been lost in the forest. I watched as my comrades went to the nearing temple in dragon form in hopes that because his weakened state they could defeat him. I quickly found the child and returned him to the ship, urging them all to escape while I went to help my comrades. The final stand that we made seemed like it took ages as one by one we all began to succumb to his mana draining power: Freud, Mercedes and Luminous all fought hard against the Mage himself while I held back the advancing armies from the throne room entrance. Eventually Freud and Mercedes were weakened enough that they were badly injured, leaving Luminous to fight him alone. But even with his injuries, Freud and his dragon partner Afrien managed to spread five seal anchors all around The Mage; all that was left to do was to have him use only one of his more powerful spells and the seal would activate, since his death was out of our reach. We would have lost had it not been for the daring actions by a former general of his The Mage, and in his frustrated rage against Luminous, sealed himself under the Sleeping Wood at the center of the Victoria Provance. However no sooner had the seal been completed, then a curse bound us all into ice and I fell into the oceans below the Temple. Fortunately or unfortunately, however you want to see it, I watched as Freud's dragon, Afrien struggled to stay in the air as she flew towards the horizon the last I had seen of her. I can only assume that it was the spirit of Minerva that guided my tomb into the waters and not to the land of Ossyria." When Aran finished speaking, a long and odd silence fell over the entire group. None of the five had ever heard the story of the Black Mage or Minerva told like that. Helen was about to speak up to ask a question when Athena stood to continue the tale.

"It wasn't easy, leaving behind two of my best friends to fight the Black Mage, but the people in the ship as well as the book of technique spells and the treasure of my home was charged to my protection. Once the Mage was sealed, I returned to my home at the time of Ellul, the city of elves to ascertain whether or not Mercedes had survived; but the entrance was blocked with a powerful seal and after sometime, I gave up trying to return but kept hope in my heart that I would see Mercedes, my friend and Queen, again. Peace in Ossyria was short lived however as other beasts began surfacing within the world. A crack in the Time Sphere which we later found out was caused by the Black Mage himself during an experiment of his, allowed a creature by the name of Papulatus to enter our world and bring his strange yet dark soldiers into our world to rule it by slowly gaining a control over time itself. The great Dread Hydra Horntail was soon to follow, the influence and power of the Black Mage tainting him into searching out for power. Pianus had been slowly poisoned by the Mage so that he grew to ridiculous proportions and having his head filled with the notion that everything in Ossyria needed to be destroyed by a great flood. The unsuspected Pink Bean come from his own dimension to rule our world, but despite his small size, he was made mostly of fat which made him extremely hard to kill if one could get past his guards. The worst of them all was an enormous beast, a chimera of sorts that called himself Balrog, created by the Black Mage to aid in his agenda to plunge the world into darkness ruled by force.

"I was still a young girl then, and at a great loss as to what to do as I stumbled along, trying to lean those that had escaped with me into the Ellin Forest, home of the Papilio. It wouldn't be until 600 years later that I would meet three of the other four masters: Dances with Minerva, later known as Dances with Balrog; a tribe leader of strong warriors that had made a life in the desolate land of Perion. Grendal was a gentle old man who had been heavily studying the ways of magic with the Sylph fairies who guarded a huge Library deep within the woods. Dark Lord was hard to get to know at first since he was the sole survivor of his clan, well known throughout Ossyria for their ninja and assassin skills. With help from the book that Minerva had given us to protect, we grew in power so that we could take up the mantle left behind by the Heroes of Ossyria. Manji and Tristan were two of the strongest warriors who stayed with Dances with Minerva's tribe and were the first to feel the strong pull of darkness that emanated from deep within the Sleeping Forest. Together with Dances with Minerva, they descended the many caves that crisscrossed under the island; the deeper they descended the stronger the feeling became, almost pulling them into the depths of blue rock, which is where they met the terrible beast, Balrog. The battle that ensued became so violent that those of us who were on the surface could feel the earth shaking blows. Eventually, Balrog was suppressed, his body left within the caves under the Sleeping Wood but at the loss of Tristan, who's ancestor Triston had guarded the Goddess from the terrible power of Ergoth so long ago. In memory of the great warrior, Manji took an oath, swearing that when he was strong enough he would restore the corroded Gladius used by Triston and Tristan, while Dances changed his name to Dances with Balrog in honor of his fallen brother.

"When they returned, the rest of us began one by one to suppress the beasts that wanted to destroy this place so many people called home. There was much bloodshed in those battles, both from us and the beasts and even from the citizens we tried to protect; so many lives were lost. Sadly we had to kill the beasts that were once so majestic who were so tainted by the power of the Black Mage there was nothing we could do. Soon after we had defeated Paulatus, Kyrin's ship came into port. When asked where she had come from, she told us that a few people in Ossyira had formed a diplomatic relationship with a people known as the Whalians, which the prince was trying hard to woo Kyrin into marrying him and living as his queen. During that time he offered his help by supplying the Drive Crystals, Main Engine Crystal and supplies to build the _Nautilus_. When the Black Mage began his Onslaught, Black Bart who was the leader of the tiny village, loaded everyone including his two young daughters, Kyrin and Shulynch, into the nearly finished _Nautilus_ and left for the sea where they grew up and became the main leaders of the Sea Goers, later calling themselves the Pirates because of their fighting style. We quickly asked her to join us in our quest to go to the Temple of Time and rid the world of the last major terror Pink Bean. The trip there was anything but easy and the battle which erupted afterwards came as a shock to most of us. It took us many attempts: each time we would have to retreat to heal our numerous wounds only to have to start again since the creature seemed to have control over the Temple itself. Once we were past his stone guards, Pink Bean himself proved to be quite the foe; every attack that we ever hit him with wa either absorbed by the massive layer of fat around his body, or thrown back at us. After hours, Dances with Balrog delivered the final blow to the menace through his heart. At last Ossyria was safe from danger again. For the next decade we decided that we would train anyone who wanted to help protect the world from any remaining terror that had been born as a result of the Black Mage's influence as well as the influence of those that had risen after his fall. It was soon after that the newly crowned empress of Ossyria, Cygnus, offered the help of her trusted knights, masters of the same arts as we, however granted powers by Shinsoo, the same Feather Dragon created by Minerva, was still alive even after all those centuries, Emperors and Empresses. They too began to train the people around Ossyria who were willing and able to take up the heavy mantles offered them. However, information slowly began to surface from the Empress's special underground force saying followers of the Black Wings were begin to surface once more. Their deeds were no where even close to the utter brute force of the Mage's power, but their dedicated following of his ways rose suspicions among us. In an effort to ready ourselves for what may or may not come, the Five of us recovered the Five Crystals which had been buried in the Nihal Dessert and absorbed their power into ourselves, amplifying our powers thousands of times over, dividing the ruby crystal between Dances and Kryin since it was the most potent of the five. The Dark Crystal we then took and placed in the rebuilt memorial statue of Minerva along with her book of magic so that the world would no longer be subject to a dangerous extermination, making a map and dividing it among us for safe keeping.

"The disciples and major leaders of the Black Wings were dealt with one by one. But with each of his followers that were defeated of arrested, a chilling fact began to arise: The Mage _would_ rise again, and when he did, he would be in search of the Five Crystals. When Eleanor the Black Witch was asked about what was being planned, she only laughed at us.

"You humans are all the same. You think so small mindedly; The Black Mage has plans far beyond what your tiny minds could possibly comprehend." She was the last to be defeated by Cygnus' knights. Unfortunately before she could be arrested, she disappeared and was never seen or heard from again, nor was her body ever recovered. Around that time is when Aran was found by Lilin and her penguin friends deep within the Island of Rein, but had no recollection of who he was or his deeds from the past. Over the next year, Lilin helped him regain his powers and memory to help try and suppress the ever growing following of the Black Mage, even with his absents. In a last ditch effort to keep what the Black Mage had in store from happening, we came to this world that you, our children, were born into to hide the crystals when Grendal discovered that without use, the power of the crystals would eventually fade away. We wanted to teach you the story of our past, but with so many books in that world speaking of magic and brave warriors as though they were nothing more than a fantastical story, we had to find some other way to teach you so that you would not think us crazy. It was then we came across a game company, Nexon in fact, who was creating a game that millions of players could play at once, but they were lacking in a story. Seeing an opportunity, we told them of our story and they agreed to write it as the back story to the game itself which was released soon after as the game you all know as MapleStory: A tutor that told our story to you, while you learned our ways and became familiar with the troubles that plagued us. Alas the Black Mage has risen again and must be stopped now that he has broken free of his seal. And therein lay the reason we have brought you back to Ossyria: With the Power of the Crystals within you, you alone can stand to defeat the Black Mage. He knows that you have the power of the crystals within you. However since you were born with that power which has been passed on to you from us, the power of those crystals has become so much a part of you that no one besides you, can use its power." Everyone just sat in silence once Athena had finished her tale. It was a sad and hard to swallow past of this world; torn to shreds by a power darker then black and killed the very woman he loved. Helen was brought back to her place around the fire when she felt a small hand slipping into hers of a small child; the child's eyes were so full of hope it made Helen feel guilty that she was refusing to help this world in trouble.

"You're gonna stop that bad man, aren't you?" she asked. Helen bit her lower lip and tried to hold back the tears that were bordering on falling from her eyes. Looking to Matthew, he too had an unsure look on his face and swallowed hard many times as a few kids gathered around him, asking the same questions. Quickly Matthew huffed and left the circle with Helen close behind until they were back at the dock they had been before Aran told them the history of this place.

"Well, what are we going to do now?" Helen asked. Looking back a group of kids who had gathered a short distance away, watching them with what looked like awe and admiration.

"I don't know; everything that Aran and Athena told us is just so close to the game's story line that I'm not sure whether to believe them. Not only that but there are things that they told us of that doesn't even exist within the game. With them saying that our parents came from this world and helped create the story to the game, it makes me feel guilty that I'm not accepting this as part of who I am."

"You must accept it." said a female voice. The two of them jumped and turned to see who is was that spoke; sitting on the dock was a young woman with long hair as white as Aran's and light blue eyes just as clear, beside her laying the same kind of halberd that Aran wielded. She wore a close fitting green vest which didn't completely close and exposed the middle of her chest. A hip guard hung low around her hips with a decretive metal piece holding the two sides together just above her leather underwear, sporting a knee length half skirt with armored stockings held up by chain mail clips.

"And who are you?" Matthew asked. She turned to him and stared him in the eyes for a long time as if to look through him.

"My name is Lillianne. I am the daughter to Aran and Lilin who married once my father regained all of his memories. I was born 2 years after your parents left this world for yours." She answered shortly before turning her studying gaze to Helen

"So where do you stand on all of this?" Helen asked with a bit of a chill in her voice. Lillianne turned back to the sunset and pulled one of her lean legs up to her chest.

"In all honesty, I am disappointed in you two. You're supposed to be this world's last hope, the prophesied Guardians, and yet you won't even consider helping us?" Matthew could no longer stand it, clenching his fist hard.

"Prophecy this, Prophecy that! What the hell does this Prophecy say anyway? I've heard mention of it so many times that I'm getting sick of it!" Lillianne shool her head slowly, thinking for a moment.

"It was given to the Heroes just before the final battle when she had gone to see a woman known as Carta the Sea Witch, who was known for being able to see the future. It says:

'Those that lead the weak shall leave for a time, to protect and to hide the Ancient Powers forged by her. Five children shall be the sword to cut evil asunder and deal a mighty blow. But they must be vigilant so when the time is near, the power of those blessed with their power will show itself as a sign that the final battle is nearing fruition.'" Matthew and Helen both sighed heavily, upset that they had such a great weight dropped onto their shoulders when a life in Ohio was so much simpler and easy, even if they felt like they were meant for something greater while they were there.

"Then tell me this: If you were suddenly yanked from the place you had known all your life, and then suddenly thrown into a world that you had no knowledge of asking you to stop their most powerful foe because you're their 'last hope', would you just accept it?" asked Helen.

"Of course I would." Matthew threw his hands up and walked in a circle

"Yes, Of course you would, because your father is the oldest warrior in this entire world who trained you to be what you are." He answered sarcastically.

"Isn't that what your parents did?" Helen and Matthew stayed silent for a while as they thought back over the 18 years of "normal" life they had lived passed through their minds.

"I'm in no position to tell you what to do, but please, enough life has been lost because of this monster. Help us by stopping him once and for all." Lillianne got up and walked away into the heavy mist that was settling over the village leaving the two of them with their thoughts, hoping they would accept, since Lillianne unexpectedly took and instant liking to Matthew, but scolded herself silently.

"_Remember Lillianne, they are the promised ones; don't get your hopes up just yet._"

* * *

The Mage gritted his teeth, and then relaxed as he thought of the one thing that would be the downfall of those warriors. Eleanor came up behind him dressed in a wine red silk robe which clung to her body like a tight fitting dress, noticing what it was that had happened in the Mage's Crystal Ball, feeling the tension in his shoulders.

"Calm yourself Master. It's merely the shock of being torn from their world and placed into a new world that expects so much from them." Disturbed hissing whispers filled the air around them, making Eleanor smile with dark radiance.

"Yes, they may descend from her blood line, but that is no reason to blame them. Besides, they're human; eventually they will come to terms with their situation and let themselves be used like the tools they are to help you, not Ossyria." Eleanor smiled dangerously, her glossy red lips spreading to reveal white teeth below as the Mage nodded thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes as he thought.

"The Knights of the Empress and the young Dragon Master Evan should be finishing with the last wave of Skelegons I sent out earlier." Eleanor informed him. Again the mage slowly nodded his head, calling up the image of the battle field in his crystal ball; indeed the skull pieces of countless Skelegons lay strewn everywhere. His eyes then narrowed, looking as though he were smiling as the image faded, and the Mage returned to his chair. Eleanor turned her attention to The Mage when the whispers of the Mage filled the air, inquiring of a project that she had been given.

"Just a bit longer and he will be ready to go." Eleanor replied wistfully, sighing as she made herself comfortable on his chair arm. The Mage thrummed the spittle in the back of his throat approvingly, dancing the Dark Crystal over his fingers like a coin and watching the energy within swirl with each time it stopped, raising his eyes to the horizon and breathing slowly as Aura fizzled from his shoulders: he would show Minerva what she was lacking, and these children were just the tool to do so.


	6. Chapter 5: Training

Chapter 5: Training

That night left many things to ponder rolling around in everyone's head: what was it that really lay ahead of them? Would any of them ever be able eventually return to Ohio? Would any of them die? Would they be able to even stop the Black Mage at this point? Matthew and Helen were especially conflicted in their answer that they would give their parents, The Masters, in the morning. Many sweet children and even pleading adults had come to them thanking them in advance for being an answer to their prayers for salvation from the tyranny of the Black Mage and for giving them hope to no longer be afraid. A lot had been laid upon their shoulders and the guilt of not wanting to help these people who were joyful for their return was beginning to build, weighing heavier and heavier on their mind. There was little Adrianna who had given Helen a small wand made of daisies, Justin who had bowed to Matthew asking to become his apprentice once the Black Mage had been dealt with. There was also Rina and her twin sister Katrina who made the five a special dinner, as well as a small fairy child by the name of Keeny who made them all a ring with the help of her robotic friend Humanoid-A; It was all too much to ignore. Matthew and Helen hadn't slept a single wink with their minds in a constant whirl of emotions while the others were feeling well rested and were eating fresh peaches picked from a farm owned by an old panda named Tae Sang.

"What happened to you two? You look like you've been run over by a truck." Jenny commented as Matthew and Helen sat down beside them at the table.

"Couldn't sleep: too many things running through my head." Matthew replied as he picked up a peach and bit into it. Helen reached for one and dropped it out of surprise when Aran came and sat down next to them while Lilin and Lillianne sat across from him.

"I can ask how you all slept, but just by looking at you all I can tell that Helen and Matthew didn't catch any sleep." He said, peeling the skin from a juicy peach, slurping up the juice as he bit.

"Well aren't you the clever detective." Laughed Helen, despite wanting to just lay her head down and fall asleep she sluggishly reached for the peach again and cutting it open.

"Have you given any more thought to what I told you two last night?" asked Lillianne. The two of them sighed before Matthew offered his reply.

"It was all I could think about." Matthew mumbled, biting into his peach again but a yawn stopping him mid bite.

"So have you an answer? Will you help us?" Lilin asked with hopeful blue eyes. An odd silence fell over the group as the five looked at each other, Helen and Matthew becoming the center of attention until Aran broke the odd silence.

"You don't need an answer right now. However I would like to know that you will go; by mid morning Shanks will be piloting his ship to Victoria where you will begin your training. I will not force you into this, but I will ask that you highly consider staying and helping. Without you, the Black Mage's rule may never come to an end."

"But what about our parents? At least the ones that aren't the masters, what will they do?" Jenny suddenly asked from nowhere.

"They will stay here where it is safe; their help would be greatly needed here in Herb Town. Once you are trained, you will be going out to find out more information about the Black Mage and his whereabouts as well as dealing with any problems that come about." Aran finished. For the rest of their meal, the air was thick with an awkward silence hanging over them, only occasional glances passing between any of them. Matthew was the first to leave, walking slowly back to his hut where he paced back and forth trying to reason with himself into being what was expected of him. It felt as if the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders, and it was his 'responsibility' to save this world. On the other hand he was just a kid from Ohio with good grades and a reputation of not being one to hang out much. Back and forth he battled with himself over whether or not he would be the hero that everyone wanted him to be. Helen came in and propped herself against the door, crossing her arms and laughing a little bit as she watched him pace.

"This isn't like you Matt." She finally said.

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked with a laugh after he had recovered from being surprised.

"Normally when you're presented with a challenge or with what you are expected to do, you do it without so much as a thought to the consequences or benefits. But right now you're just lost in your own mind." Matthew laughed and pointed back to her.

"I could say the same for you. Normally you would take months to make a decision that was bigger then what to wear in the morning, but right now you're just saying to jump into something that could very well be extremely dangerous, not to mention deadly?"

"So you actually believe what they told you?" Helen asked with a tone of surprise in her voice.

"Not completely, but it does explain for me all the weird things that our folks are able to do."

"So what are you waiting for? I believe them now that I've heard their history."

"I am having trouble with being this person that everyone thinks is their savior. I'm not some awesome hero slash god from another world. I'm a normal person who happens to be in the middle of deciding whether or not an entire world of people is going to live or die. I don't want that kind of power!" he shouted while he ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated rage walking over to a wall and just stood facing it. Helen walked over from the door and placed an understanding hand on his shoulder.

"You have nothing, and everything to lose."

* * *

"Shanks, get the engines ready. They have made their choice. We are leaving without them."

"Aran, please just wait a bit longer. I'm sure that…"

"Grendal, I've waited long enough. I know that we stand less of a chance to stop the Black Mage without those two. However we must try with those that have made the choice to accept the path before them. Cast off when you're ready Shanks!" Shanks nodded and pulled a lever next to the helm of his ship, _Queen's Wing_, to raise the anchors and unfurl the sails. Slowly and sadly, the ship was pushed away by the dock hands and set afloat in the bay of the Mu Lung province. The sails pushed out as the light winds caught them, pushing the large galleon into motion. Matthew and Helen arrived at the end of the dock just as the ship had turned around and was headed towards its launching point.

"WAIT! WAIT FOR US!" but over the roar of ocean spray and waves, no one could hear the two of them calling out to the ship. Helen backed up a few steps looking as though she were going to do something drastic, far out of character for her.

"What are you up to?" Matthew asked.

"A wise person once said 'if your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it'." So with that she ran and jumped into the ice cold water, swimming after the ship. Matthew huffed and jumped in after her, pushing his arms and legs as hard as he could to try and catch the ship while it continuously sped up. Jenny thought she had heard a splashing sound behind them and looked back, seeing the two of them swimming after the ship.

"Aran! They're coming! We left too soon!" Jenny called, pointing back to show Aran who ran to the side of the ship and sure enough, there was Matthew and Helen, both panting and swimming as hard as they could to try and catch the ship.

"Shanks we need to stop and get those two aboard." Aran commanded, running up to the helm at the back of the ship.

"I'm sorry but if we stop now we won't have enough speed to get into the air." Shanks replied. Athena bit her lip as she thought, then ran below deck returning with a light rope in hand tying one end to an arrow. Once she had tied it, she then drew her bow and let the arrow go, flying over the two of them into the water

"GRAB THE ROPE!" called Dances as he tied the rope to the railing at the back of the helm. Helen easily grabbed the rope as is slid past her, but Matthew couldn't find it since it had sunk just out of his reach below the water. When he finally did find it from being pulled by the ship, it was too far right of him to easily reach and the end of it was quickly coming closer. From below the water, the turbines used for flight rose while the glow of flames ignited within the housing beginning to spin the engines up, slowly turning the large propellers at their backs into motion. The rope began sliding faster and faster away from Matthew as he tried harder and harder to grab the end, jumping as best he could against the currents and wind from the turbines that tried to push him back. Helen was soon brought aboard at the helm, but quickly turned around, cheering and encouraging Matthew on while a towel was draped over her shoulders.

"We're almost at full power." Shanks called, flipping a few switches and making final preparations, folding back the sails and activating the levistone heaters. Jack looked back from his position at the railing for a moment to see a countdown with only a few seconds remaining.

"COMON MAN! YOU CAN MAKE IT!" Jack hollered. Matthew made one giant effort in reaching for the last few feet of rope when all at once the turbines kicked in, instantly speeding them along the last few hundred feet of water, over a waterfall and into the air. The turbine angles were adjusted as were the heaters for the levitation stones, sending the ship into the clouds.

"Did he get the rope?" Athena asked. Aran just shrugged: no one had really seen whether or not Matthew had indeed grabbed the rope since they all lost their footing from the turbines kicking in, and now they were too far away to see if Matthew was still in their wake. Olsen dropped to his knees and hung his head.

"He was so close too." Disappointment was thick in their air while they all filed down the stairs from the helm to make their way down into the hold: it would be a good few hours before Victoria was in sight. Olsen suddenly stopped, listening to something that he thought he heard.

"Olsen, come, we must get below deck…"

"Shh…" Olsen cut Dark Lord off before he could speak any more, running back to where the rope was tied on the helm railing. As he looked down the rope, he thought it looked pulled tight and swinging underneath the ship. As it swung back, Olsen could hear a faint voice calling out from somewhere in the clouds.

"Hey! Heeeeeeyy! Anyone there!?" it called out before swinging under the ship again and then swinging back out just as they cleared the clouds. There, hanging on the rope for all he was worth, was Matthew. Olsen called over Dances and Jack as the three of them hauled Matthew up and onto the ship where he was hugged and greeted by everyone there before given a towel.

"You are indeed a warrior. Only the son of Dances with Balrog would attempt something so crazy." Jin laughed. Matthew could only smile as he caught his breath, trying many times to speak, only to have his words be lost in a multitude of pants.

"You two should go below deck to get warm and rest. It will be a few hours before we clear the Nihal desert and then a few more hours before we clear Ludibrum." Shanks said, speaking mainly to Helen and Matthew who both accepted the offer with gratitude. Jin and Athena hung up hammocks for the two of them which Helen and Matthew crawled into and promptly fell asleep.

"Athena, you do know that you won't be able to help them as much as you did back at the dock if they are going to be the strong warriors we need them to be." Jin firmly said to her, grabbing her arm and holding her steady to speak to her.

"I know, but they haven't even been given survival training. It would be far too much to ask of them to suddenly be ready and take on the entire world from just being here one day." She answered, but Dark Lord Jin shook his head.

"Just in coming back to our world, the crystals are beginning to regain their power, making them more of a target. Yes, your daughter, and even my son can't have the power removed from their body. But who's to say that the Black Mage already has something to compensate for that? They will need to learn how to tap into that power and use it for themselves and we won't be able to help them at all. All we can teach them is how to direct it."

"That will come with time Jin. For now, they need all the help we can give them."

"They will never learn if we hold their hand the entire way."

"And they won't survive if we don't until they can stand on their own." Matthew listened quietly as he slowly fell asleep: yes he was worried about what lay ahead of him but he was far too tired to care.

* * *

The Mage was looking into his crystal ball as the little group was making its way to the since abandoned Victoria. They were so predictable: going to the same place where hundreds had been trained before. It just seemed that they couldn't find another way to train them without being dangerous. With a flick of his wrist he transported himself to the quarters of his finest creation, Balrog. Since it was him that had created the beast, he also created the underlings to Balrog, the fire breathing Crimson and the powerful ice creatures, the Geist. A few of each were caged next to their leader as the Mage walked up to the cell which kept Balrog himself, content whispers rising around Balrog as he approached. The creature turned its giant head to him and growled low in his throat. His horns quickly glowing with ancient symbols on them as large rocks fell from the roof, which were turned to dust when the Black Mage held up his hand. Slowly he lowered his face to look him in the eyes, narrowing his own as power began seeping from his shoulders and back.

"What is it that you want?" Balrog asked, his voice being so deep that the small pebbles around the area jumped and bounced on the floor. The Mage's whispers sounded agitated, pointing to the Crimson. Balrog clenched his teeth, but the soulless stare from the Mage overpowered his, making Balrog slink back, and growl his commands to the Crimson who took off through the walls of their cages.

"They will shake them up as you asked. I am only disappointed that I am not allowed to kill them all." Balrog asked. However the Mage simply stared at hard before leaving.

* * *

_It wasn't long until Matt found himself walking along a long path, lined with people that he didn't recognize, each one of them reaching out their hands to him, begging for release and assurance. At the end of the path stood a man dressed in black and holding a girl off the ground with her throat in his hand, the girl was reaching out to him. Jenny, Olsen, Helen and Jack were doing all they could to release his grip on her throat but despite their efforts they were thrown to the side and knocked unconscious. On Matthew's gauntlets were the stains of blood which also dripped down his own sword. The girl's eyes looked at him, pleading for his help as she reached out for her while the man's grip tightened. With a loud crunch, the girl's neck collapsed and was dropped to the ground in a lifeless pile. Matthew then ran to the girl, cradling her lifeless body in his hands, tears pouring down his face and he tried to wake the girl with no result. His sadness soon turned to rage as flames burning the color of blood roared into existence around him, tenderly setting the girl on the ground. The power that he had within him began flowing with a force far beyond what he had felt before, violently mixing with his mana to make his power hundreds of times greater than before. Light began gathering around the sword's guard and around the blade as he held the sword to the air while a red cloud floated into the air, solidifying into a giant gold hammer. The ground shook with so much force that the ground below him began to crack as flames and sacred light wrapped around the sword and hammer. Once he had gathered all the powers he was sure would inflict the most damage he charged after the man in black while swinging down his sword._ But before he made the strike, a sudden jolt from the ship spilled Matthew out of the hammock and on floor of the ship's hold.

"Ow, my head…" he mumbled while trying to get to hit feet when he lost his balance again from the boat rocking to the side. Eventually he was able to stand, only to be knocked off balance again as the ship rocked to the other direction and then jolt again from something hitting hull which woke up Helen after she was dumped onto the floor, the two of them struggling to get to the deck over the rocking and sways of the ship. Once there, they saw some kind of bat-like creatures flying around the ship, spewing large fireballs from their mouth at the ship. Dances swung the large sword, Soul Rohen, cutting one of those creatures in half. Jenny was at the Helm doing what she could to shoot arrows at them while Olsen did what he could to attack in tandem with Dark Lord Jin. Jack and Kyrin were back to back, each one helping the other as though they were a well choreographed dance team. Matthew looked closer at the creatures and realized that they were Crimson Balrog attacking the ship, but they were shooting fire instead of orbs of dark energy. Matthew suddenly knew why he was brought here to this world; he was being asked to protect life, not to decide whether or not he would end it. That new thought in his mind solidified his resolve as he grabbed the nearest thing that looked like a weapon, jumping off a crate over his father at the Balrog he had downed, crushing its skull. Shanks meanwhile did the best he could to avoid getting hit by the fireballs, but still more of the Crimsons came to join in the fight. Grendal pointed his hand at one which instantly froze over and then was pummeled with hundreds of meteors, breaking it into hundreds of pieces. Just as the fighting was becoming the thickest, the Masters looked quickly at each other, and then gathered the kids together in one spot with the Masters all holding hands around them. Above each of the masters appeared a young looking woman with a hex of golden light behind her when the five of them suddenly watched a power swirl around them, something that could be compared to invincibility. A blue cloud the rose around Dances making small popping noises as the five began feeling an immense strength fill them, and two small fairies appeared above each of the five having between them a bowl of a golden potion that was poured over them, giving them a feeling of safety. Something green then glowed around their eyes making everything seem like it was in higher definition, certain spots on the Crimson being more defined then others. Wings then appeared on Dark Lord's feet, appearing on the Five's feet as well making them feel lighter, faster than ever before. Finally, time seemed to slow to a crawl around them as a small glowing watch appeared on their wrist beginning a countdown. With a sudden knowledge of what needed to be done, they followed their parents in each of their attacks, mirroring every move as though they were mentally linked. Olsen and Dark Lord passed a few stars to Olsen, hurling them at a couple of the crimsons making the stars slice through their chest as though it were butter. The Crimson that Jin had attack burst into a wall of blue flames, while the ones that Olsen had aimed for were engulfed with a hot pink flame following Olsen's burning to ashes. Helen and Grendal seemed to perform some sort of dance as they then forced their palms at three of the monsters: Grendal let lose ten bolts of blue plasma while Helen created four orbs of violet plasma, obliterating the Crimson that were once there. Kyrin tossed a gun to Jack who fired six shots that split six of the Crimson's heads between the eyes glowing bright blood red. Athena stood with Jenny on the helm holding their bows with three arrows each: a blue cloud surrounded Athena's bow and arrows while a rich green cloud surrounded Jenny's. When the arrows fired, their targets became nothing but a mist. For the final blow Dances and Matthew held their weapons to the side, a golden light surrounding the guard of the Soul Rohen while a red light gathered around Matthew's weapon. Quickly they both jumped from mast to mast of the sails to attack the fleeing Crimson which remained. Raising their swords high above their head, the two of them tore through the remaining Crimson as though they were paper, landing on deck with little more than a whisper while the bodies from the sky to the clouds below. The feelings that each of them felt soon passed as time seemed to regain its speed, making them all feel a bit dizzy, panting to catch their breath. Jack was the first to groan in sore pain, but managed to rise above it and comment of what had just happened.

"Ok, does anyone want to tell me what just happened? That was like totally awesome and really weird at the same time." Jack managed to say between heaves of breath, lowering himself to the deck and sitting against the railing, soon followed by the others as they too groaned and hissed in pain, messaging their muscles to dull it.

"That was what you will be able to do once you are trained. You tapped into the power of the crystals within you, although I will say that it appears you aren't quite ready to use it exclusively." Grendal answered. Olsen was stunned; he had that kind of power in him? And even then it was only a small taste of what he could do once he was fully trained, but he wasn't sure he liked the after effects.

"Did _we _ just take on Crimson Balrogs?" Jenny asked, once she was able to regain some of her breath, trying to stand but slumping to the deck again.

"No Jenny, those weren't Crimson Balrog. Here they are simply, Crimson. While we were talking with the creators at Nexon, we helped them in renaming some of the beasts for the game. Some of the creatures here go by the same name, while others go by something similar but not exactly the same."

"Well if that's what we'll be able to do, let's kick this ship into high gear!" Helen squeaked, looking to Shanks as she finished her statement.

* * *

Eleanor smiled as she turned towards Mage who stood at a window of his floating fortress, watching the galleon carrying the small group as a tiny spec in the distance, uninterested whispers filling the air as Eleanor approached.

"So it would seem. The Crimson were never known for being the intellectual type." Eleanor replied silkily. Heavy footsteps coming from Mage's entrance made Eleanor turn to the door while she placed both her hands on the Mage's shoulder.

"You sent them to slaughter." Balrog growled as he stepped up to where the two of them stood. The Mage turned and looked back at him with a mocking light in his eyes as if to ask, "so?".

"Is that the way you are going to treat the rest of us? Just sending us out only to be sent right back to our graves?" The Mage turned slowly to him while his eyes glowed angrily, hissing whispers surrounding all of them as The Mage paced across the floor. Balrog grit his teeth at his master's response, flexing his claws.

"Our contract did not say that you would be using my underlings as fodder, I was brought back to get _my _revenge, you don't need to remind me that whether or not I succeed is up to me." Balrog growled before walking out of his chamber and returning to his quarters, leaving the Mage to chuckle with a huff and shake his head and turning to Eleanor as instructional sounding whispers hung in the air.

"We'll see if they can apply what they have learned in defeating a _real_ foe on their own." Eleanor smiled, leaving a quick kiss on the Mage's cheek and left to check on the Slime King. The Mage placed a hand on his cheek where she had kissed him, feeling a burning within his soul as the kiss made him think of Minerva once again.

* * *

The rest of the journey was uneventful allowing them to reach Victoria much quicker than they had first thought. Once they had docked, the five quickly left the ship to run though the tunnel and into Ellinia. The masters and Aran weren't as eager to leave the dock of their children, but when they did come through the tunnel they found the five just staring in awe at the sight that was before them: Trees as tall as skyscrapers reached their green leaves to the sky, leaves as big as they were hung from the branches while dew dripped from the tips as big as baseballs.

"It's beautiful." Jenny whispered as she looked around.

"This is nothing like the game. It's so much bigger." Jack commented as he looked around, soon catching sight of a house at the top of the trees.

"Hey, isn't that…"

"Yes Jack, that my house." Grendal answered, hovering over the branches up to the front door.

"Your Grandfather is Grendal!?" asked Jenny. Helen only nodded as she grabbed onto any nearby vines to climb up to the door where Grendal stood, placing his hand on the door with his eyes closed.

"This place used to be so alive, but since the Fairies left, well, there hasn't been much life in this place." He said sadly as he pushed the door open to reveal his study home where for so many years he had stayed, trained, and taught many a traveler the ways of magic. Soon the rest of their group filed into the small house while the five looked around in wonder at the old dusty room filled with books.

"Listen; from here you must all go your separate ways. Grendal and Helen will stay here in the west forest of Ellina. Dances with Balrog, Kyrin, Jack and Matthew shall go the Northern hills of Perion. Dark Lord and Olsen shall go to the east alleys of Kerning City and Athena and Jenny shall go to the southern plains of Henesys. Your will take two months, So train with your masters and we shall meet back here once you have completed that time in training. Are there any questions?" Jack raised his hand slowly, catching Aran's keen eye.

"Yes, Lord Jack."

"Who's back in Mu Lung guarding everyone if everyone is here?"

"That is doesn't need to be a worry of yours. Evan, Lillianne, and Empress Cygnus' Knights are there to ensure the safety of everyone there. I doubt anyone will get by them. Are there any other questions?" Everyone seemed to be satisfied with the information given them so with that in mind, Aran nodded and pulled from his vest eight glowing blue stones and handing one to each of the masters.

"In two months then: train hard, Guardians of Ossyria!" each of the masters grabbed onto their children and shot into thin air right before Helen's eyes.

Helen Begins:

"Right then: We should get started on your training, you even get to wear special clothing!" called Grendal as he searched through trunk after trunk, box after box, even the drawers in his bedroom.

"Oooo! Are the clothes in Ossyria like the ones in the game?" Helen squealed, shortly after Grendal returned from his searching with dust all over his robe.

"Yes and no. Here the clothes are a symbol of your training, awarded to you as gifts from us for achieving a level of maturity and control over your powers." Helen was lost in her own thoughts of wearing something she had wanted to try for Halloween that year: the Red Calaf. Something caught her eyes as she spun lost in her thoughts for the moment. From where she stood it looked to be two old glass cases with no doubt something very old and valuable inside.

"Hey Grampa, what's in that case up there?" she asked. Grendal smiled and waved his hand through the air to make one of them levitate, descending down to where Helen stood. Grendal handed her a cloth so that she could wipe away the years of dust that had collected on the glass of that case. What she revealed was a dress, as black as a raven's feather which seemed to glisten with a gold color in the light that shone through the windows as though it were polished onyx, with long flowing golden half sleeves. The dress was then secured around the waist with a low hanging gold belt and also secured around the neck resembling a backless dress.

"Whose dress was this?" Helen asked as she wiped more and more dust from the case revealing the others accessories that were a part of it.

"This dress is the only one of its kind. As of yet there has been no one to wear the prized Onyx Empress Requiem. If you train with all your heart, you may one day wear such a garment." Helen could only stare in awe at the dress that was before her. Grendal held out to her a bland looking sleeveless shirt and long skirt to her.

"And, what are these?" Helen asked with raised eyebrows and questioning eyes.

"These are your training clothes. Once you have completed your training, you will be awarded this." Grendal pulled back a curtain to reveal a rather free flowing top and skirt in a lovely lavender color. The top consisted of a chest thick tube top with loose fitting, sheer sleeves. The major outline of the knee length skirt was made of the same material as the sleeves with a thicker fabric which looked like a longer version of a loin cloth dyed in as elegant purple. She looked longingly at it for a moment, and then back at the drab clothes Grendal had given her and sighed.

"Can't I just wear that?" she asked pointing back to the case.

"That dress has power which would overwhelm you just by touching it. For now you will wear these. All great magicians, myself included, wore something just like those clothes you're holding." Sighing disappointedly she went into the back room to change, feeling rather conspicuous since the top was a tad too big and the skirt fit too snugly. The shoes she was given to wear were anything but glamorous, not to mention the lopsided pointed hat she was also given to wear. She forwent the hat, coming out behind Grandal once she had finished.

"Ah, there you are, and those clothes don't fit right at all." With a snap of his fingers, the outfit was adjusted to her frame with a magical ease so that it was close fitting but not snug.

"Now then, off to the training grounds!" Grendal said with a smile, leading her out the front door and down through a series of vines, over branches, between and through trees.

"This place is where I trained many a Magician. For now, you are to keep your mouth closed, your ears and heart, open. Only answer questions I ask. This is the breeding ground for the simplest of creatures that you will face, the Slime. From a distance they look harmless enough, but if you let one of them jump one your head, they will use their thick sap-like body to drown and suffocate you. Now, when we fought off the Crimson, Do you remember what it felt like to use the power that you did?

"It kinda felt like… something was surging through my arms."

"That's good. What you experienced was the power of the Amethyst Crystal. What I am going to help you with is to tap into your mana, a special substance that comes from your Life Force that Is used as a catalyst for all magic. Now place your feet like this, just a bit wider than your shoulders, pull you arms in and close your eyes. Look deep inside yourself and find the feeling that closest resembles what you felt. If you feel the same, it isn't your mana you feel." Helen closed her eyes stayed still, listening to everything that was around her which calmed her: birds singing, the light breeze blowing through the leaves, and the musty smell of the trees around her. She was about to give up when she felt something. It was small at first, passed, and then concentrated on finding that feeling again. This time it felt like a light pressure in her chest. In her mind's eye, it looked like a small blue flame inside of a larger bright orange flame.

"I think I found it! It feels, kinda like a small power inside of a larger power, almost like a fire within a fire." she exclaimed. Grendal smiled when he heard the smile in her voice.

"Good, trust and remember that feeling, since it is the voice of your mana. Now, you must take whatever that smaller feeling is and direct it to your mind and your hands; This will allow you to open the pathways for you to use your mana and build the amount available to you. Right now you can say that you have two mana points. But be warned; you _can_ use all your mana and once that happens, if you try and use any other power beyond that capacity you will be using your life force, the larger power. Unless you are able to tap into the power of the Crystal, which you must learn to use yourself, you will slowly begin to kill yourself. To compare you to something that you know, you are a beginning magician, just past her first job advancement." For hours the two of them worked to gain control of Helen's mana which would often come close to her gaining control, but not before her mana would run out. Many hours later Helen finally broke through; just training to get her mana under control made it grow tenfold. She would have liked to continue, but her body and mind were worn out, making her collapse to the ground fast asleep. Grendal teleported the both of them back to his house since it had gotten dark and set the exhausted Helen on a soft bed; Now that she was aware of her mana, the _real_ training could begin. The next morning started far too early for Helen, but none the less she drug her sore body from bed to run through the underbrush for what seemed to be ages, running through a gauntlet of sorts Grendal had set up the night before. When she was finally finished with that, she was given only a few moments to catch her breath, then hurled right into her training again. Time and time again drilled of performing the most basic attack, the Plasma Bolt, on unsuspecting Slime, along with others such as the Double Claw, Magic Armor and Armor Fortification until her mana was gone then given a rest. Once she was semi rested she was then sent back through the gauntlet only to go through draining her mana again, all the while Grendal coaching her and occasionally showing her where she could improve so that less mana would be used, but more power could be extracted. On the third time around, Helen collapsed to the ground panting and wheezing as though she had just run eighty miles.

"Get up, you still have the whole day ahead of you!"

"No… more… for today… I'm spent."

"Do you think that the Black Mage will wait for you to regain your stamina? You must get up and go on." Helen slowly got to her slightly unsteady feet and brushed the sweat from her brow.

"Minerva would be proud Helen. Now show me the most powerful Plasma Bolt you can muster!" Helen channeled her mana to her hands and compressed it which heated the air around it into its most basic form then hurled it away from her with a heartfelt yell.

Olsen Begins:

It felt only like a moment, but the two of them were soon standing outside of a rundown city: buildings that used to be standing tall were scattered in thousands of pieces all over the ground. Sidewalks were broken and twisted, newsstands and small shops had all of their windows broken while page after page of newspapers littered the streets.

"Is this Kerning?" asked Olsen while Dark Lord shook his head.

"This is only what's left of it. Come, we need to get started with your training." Olsen solemnly followed his dad through road after road until they came to a café with the doors missing. Inside was dusty beyond help; chairs were broken everywhere as well as bottles from the bar. However the back bathroom was the only place left untouched. Dark Lord crowded the two of them into the tiny space, and then pulled the flush chain which began making the floor sink below ground level to what looked to be an underground boxing arena. When the two of them stepped out into the arena, Dark Lord walked off to the lockers while Olsen admired the scene before him. To one side of the room was something that resembled a closet that had been locked but it felt like something was calling him from inside that dresser, something powerful.

"Hey Dad, what's inside this dresser? It feels like…" a star came flying in from somewhere in the locker room and cut the lock off, throwing the doors open from the slight breeze that followed it. Inside was revealed a rugged and well made looking red kimono shirt and pants edged in gold cloth with a long sash at the waist, tipped with a large bell. Knee high boots sat at the bottom of the dresser while a Pirate Captain's hat sat at the top with a white bandana below it.

"That is the ultimate in Ninja Attire: The Blade of Flames. No other ninja, not even the ones I have trained have ever become powerful enough, or worthy enough to don such an honor. But if you stay the course, you will be granted the privilege of wearing such a garment. In the mean time, wear these." He said handing him a dull red vest, loose fitting pants, heavy brown shoes, and a beanie that had lost all its elastic.

"Clothes like these have been worn by some of the most powerful Ninja, myself included, in all of Ossyria." Olsen looked over the clothes and then looked at the Blade of Flames and sighed; He _was_ going to wear that one day, he would make sure of it. It didn't take him long to change into the training clothes, but when he came out of the locker, his father was standing next to a manikin body with something else dropped over its shoulders: It was a red sleeveless shirt with gold, fine chainmail sleeves. The pants resembled red denim with plates of hardened armor attached to it on the shins, with boots that were covered in black chainmail, and a floppy, beanie-like hat.

"This will be given to you once you have completed your training. Now come, we must make you aware of your mana. For that I will take you to one of my favorite training grounds." The two of them sprinted through the city performing many feats of parkour as they traveled to an abandoned construction site.

"Here, this very spot is where many a Ninja was born. However if you are going to be the hero you were destined to be, you must first have an awareness of your own power. What you did on the ship coming here was through the power of the Pink Quartz which you will be able to control with time, but that is not what I want you to use. I want you to use your mana, a power that every man, woman, and child is born with. However many are never aware of it: this power comes directly from your Life Force, and so you must be careful when you do use it. You can use all your mana but once you have, you must either rest until it is restored or tap into the limitless power of the Quartz. Otherwise you will use your very own life force and it will kill you." Olsen thought about what he had been told for a moment until Dark Lord handed him a glove with a thin plate attached over the knuckles, spines sticking up from it, and a dagger. The glove also had close to twenty stars loaded into a small pocket just behind the palm on the underside of the wrist where the glove was fastened.

"This Claw is yours until you have completed your training. Once you have you will be given this, the Steel Guard, as a gift." Olsen looked over the Claw with eyes wide.

"So how do I become aware of this mana?" Dark Lord smiled: Olsen reminded him so much of his younger self during his days as part of the Night Lords.

"First, you must clear your head; think about only finding a feeling of a flow through out your body. Stand with your feet together and your arms straight out to your sides." Olsen took the stance and concentrated on finding that feeling of a flow even though he felt slightly stupid. A few times he couldn't really tell whether it was the need to go to the bathroom or something else, but soon he was able to find the flow of something. In his mind's eye it looked like a golden river with a ribbon of blue surging through the center.

"I've got it. It's almost like a river, within a larger river." Olsen called suddenly.

"Very good, that smaller stream is your mana. Now channel that feeling into your arms and legs. Hold your dagger in the opposite hand of your Claw, send the flow through your arms and saturate both your Claw and your dagger. But take your time, because in doing this, you will use up your supply of Mana."

"Well then what's the point?" Olsen asked, dropping his arms and opening his eyes.

"The other part to this training will be to expand your mana capacity by training it as well. But be warned, once that feeling of a smaller stream is gone, you must stop. Otherwise the larger stream, your Life Force, will be used instead. If you want to continue once your mana is gone, you must learn to control the Pink Quartz. Now concentrate!" Olsen chuckled and took his stance again, clearing his head of everything. Time and time again, Olsen would try and redirect the flow that he had found, but just as he thought that he was getting close, his mana would run dry. After a short rest he would try again, slowly but steadily clearing the way and growing the amount of mana available to him. With the final effort, he made the final connection to what it was that he was trying to accomplish leaving him exhausted. Dark Lord made a campfire that night on the site, and brought some blankets for Olsen to sleep on under the stars. When morning came, Olsen was dragged from his covers and made to run a long Parkour course, jumping over obstacles, up steep inclines, even climbing over buildings. Once he was done he was put through his paces of aim and power with his throwing stars and dagger, being told that he had to be able to throw a star through a steel I-beam and stab through it. Beyond those he was taught the Shadow Cloak, Guard Drop, and how to quickly either grab and throw two stars, or to stab twice by using his mana to not only speed up the process, but to give far more power to them. Once his mana was gone he was allowed to rest a short while to catch his breath, and then he would be sent through the same paces again until he collapsed in the middle of the day.

"I have… no more energy… I've gotta eat." Dark Lord nodded and let him have a small loaf of bread and some water, but once those were gone he was again sent through the course which also had targets to hit along the way. With each throw or stab, his mana was growing as was his speed and agility: Dark Lord could hear it in each grunt that came from Olsen as he hurled another star at a target which slowly began to have small flames follow them and flare from the tip of the dagger.

Jenny Begins:

When Athena and Jenny arrived, neither one was prepared for the sight that was to greet them: the houses that once stood were flattened, shrubs had been dug up and had begun to yellow, the grass had been turned to dust and the trees had been cut down except for one near the back of the village. Quietly the two of them walked to that house, taking in all the damage that had been done from the battles against the rising Black Mage and his armies.

"This looks nothing like the game." Jenny sighed as she knelt down and picked up a doll whose arm had been torn off and was now missing a button eye.

"In the game, the Black Mage was still nothing more than a far off memory sweetheart. This is what it looks like against such a powerful foe." She said sadly.

"I remember when children used to run through these streets, chasing each other with small bows and plunger arrows, pretending to be the heroes of old fighting off the forces of the Black Mage." Jenny stood, following her mom into the house where small targets and old broken arrows hung or stuck into the wall. It was so similar to the way the game had portrayed her mom's old house that Jenny felt as though she had stepped right into the game itself. As Jenny admired the large front room, Athena went to her desk to search for something. Presently Jenny came across a steel plate of names, reaching from the ceiling to the floor and covering one entire wall.

"What this?" she asked, running her hands over the letters which had been stamped into the steel.

"That is a list of Archers that I had trained before we left for the other world. Many, many of those names were lost during the battles that followed, but they will never be forgotten: they have laid the ground for you, the last Archer who will stop the Black Mage." Jenny then saw a small inconsistency in the metal and ran her hand over it which made a hideaway wall slide out from its hiding place. On a slender wooden rod hung two blue outfits, reflecting the sun like they were inlayed with metal inside the fabric. One of which looked to be a long dress with the front of the skirt cut out revealing the white pants beneath. It was then secured at the waist with a wide black belt, buttoning up the front with gold buttons. The white sleeves ended in gold while the shoes and hat carried the same light yet authoritative blue as the dress.

"What is this?" Jenny asked with interest as she ran her hand over the collar, pulling away suddenly when she felt as though she had been shocked.

"These are called the Sky Lineros. The one on the left is meant for you. There are two since it was never known who would be able to achieve the Honor of wearing this. One does not simply buy armor and don it you know; you must prove your worth in order to wear such garments. Otherwise the power that is held within would overpower you and you would lose yourself in the ecstasy of being drunk with power. For now, you will wear these." Athena stated as she produced a green tube top with a half leather shirt, complemented by a matching heavy leather skirt and green apron.

"Do I really have to wear _that?_" she asked, pointing to the outfit in Athena's hands.

"Yes. It's only until you have completed your training. You are still very far from being able to wear the Sky Lineros. But don't worry, it won't be going anywhere." Jenny looked back at the Lineros, and sighed, taking the outfit and heading to a room where she could change.

"Don't be so down on yourself, I even wore something like that when I learned from the Heroes." Jenny felt slightly better when she heard that even her mom had to wear this god awful outfit, but she still wanted that Lineros. When she came back out, Athena held out a simple blue bow and a quiver of arrows which Jenny quickly slung over her shoulders, following her mom in heavy leather boots to a range just outside the village walls.

"Before we start, I need you to be in touch with your mana. I know you felt something when you attacked on the ship right?"

"Yeah, I felt… freer, like I could just be carried away with the wind."

"I thought you might; that was the power of the Emerald Crystal. Yes you will be able to use its power but you must learn to use on your own first. For now I just want you to concentrate on finding a feeling within yourself that is similar to what you felt before. That will be your mana. First, sit on the ground and cross your legs, then set your hands on the ground and just concentrate on that feeling." Jenny took the position and began looking for that feeling within her. But it wasn't long until she found what she was looking for. In her mind's eye, it looked like it was a strong, golden wind storm blowing through the plains with a streaks of blue being threaded through it.

"I got it! It's almost like a breeze within a hurricane." Athena raised her eye brows; that was much quicker than any of her previous students had ever found it.

"Well done: Always remember that feeling, for that small breeze alone is what your mana will feel like. You can use your mana until it is gone, but be careful when you come to that point, for if you aren't you will use your life force which is the powerful wind you feel. Now, take that breeze and send it through your arms, mind, and force it into your bow. This will open the paths so your mana will flow freely through your body." For an hour Jenny tried and tried again, but soon ran her supply of mana dried leaving her panting and sore.

"Well now what? That feeling is gone." she asked, rubbing her arms absently.

"That means you've run out of mana. Take a rest and it will come back. The stronger the feeling, the closer you are to your fullest level." After a rest, she tried again, redirecting the free winds of her mana only to run out, resting only long enough to try again. Hours past like minutes for Jenny as she slowly pushed the feeling through her arms, all the while stretching her mana ability higher and higher. When at last she had completed her task, Jenny's mana had grown many times it original capacity, but left Jenny exhausted. Athena carried her back to the house and placed her on a soft bed to sleep, leaving once again and not coming back until very late that night. Morning wasn't kind to Jenny since she was rolled out of the comfortable bed and out into the chilly air with her bow and arrows, running through an obstacle course with random targets set up throughout the course. Once that course was run which seemed to last forever, Jenny was then pushed to her limits by using what she had learned in controlling mana to her advantage in using techniques like the Double Strike, Power Blow, and the powerful Spine Arrow until her mana was gone. After a short rest to regain her mana, she was then sent though the course again, shooting targets and running through the course as fast as she could. Her shoulders burned as she switched from time to time to keep from having one side get too strong or too worn out, all the while further stretching her mana capacity. After a particularly hard lap on the course, Jenny dropped to her knees, panting and coughing to breathe.

"Get up Jen, you can't rest just yet."

"I know _I_ can't… but my body says it has to…" she was quickly brought to her feet and shown a target.

"The Black Mage isn't going to wait for you just because you're out of breath, nor will he hesitate to kill you if you give him the chance. Above all else you are my daughter, but you are also the last hope for this world. If you don't get up now, you'll be stopping all of this progress you've made. Now draw that bow and show me what you're made of!" Quickly Jenny reached back, grabbed an arrow and drew it in the sinews as it glowed with a blue haze, letting it go with a streak of light following the arrow as her Spine Arrow was becoming more and more powerful while she learned to get more power from less mana. When it hit the target, the arrow struck with enough force to knock the target back a few inches.

Matthew and Jack Begin:

A thread of lightning hit the ground just outside what looked to be an old stone temple, ancient warriors carved into the rock on either side of the entrance.

"Wow! I never thought that I'd actually be here one day." Matthew said in awe.

"Yeah no kidding, it's so much bigger than I thought it would be." Jack laughed.

"What is Jack?" asked Kyrin.

"This! I mean I know it's carved into a mountain and all, but still!"

"This is the great hall of warriors; this is where I trained many noble warriors such as you Matthew. But this will be the first time that a Pirate has been trained her at the Hall of Warriors." Slowly Dances with Balrog pushed open the stone doors into what continued to look like a temple. Jack and Matt could hardly contain themselves as they looked in awe at the myriad of weapons hanging on the walls everywhere from past warriors with their names carved into the rock. Three weapons slots near where something like an alter were empty, and two of them had names engraved into the rock; The first set atop the alter was Fang of Blades, the second, Snow Tiger, but the third looked as if the name had been worn away. All that remained was an "a" and an "o". Matthew was about to ask about the third name when Aran suddenly came through the doors holding a package in his arms.

"What's that?" Asked Matthew as Aran handed it to Kyrin and then disappeared into the light coming from the door.

"This is a gift that you will wear once you are fully trained, the coveted Emerald Sea." Kyrin said proudly.

"And that armor behind you Matthew is the gift you shall what you shall wear: The Bullion." Jack and Matthew each looked over what they hoped to someday wear. But even though they were young, they both had a sense that they were not ready for such gifts.

"So where do we start?" Jack asked after putting the cover back onto his gift.

"With these." Kyrin answered, holding a worn out tank top and leather pants, with equally worn out shoes and bandana: Jack eagerly took it, and ran to the darkest part of the hall to change. Matthew was shown to a dull set of armor and dented grieves, but no sooner had Dances left, then Matthew began pulling on the armor.

"I'm surprised that they are taking this so well." Commented Dances with surprise in his voice.

"Did you expect resistance?" Kyrin asked. Dance shook his head and waved his hand.

"Not resistance, just a bit of complaining. But it seems those two are more different then I give them credit for." Within a few minutes, Jack had changed, folding his clothes and putting them on the alter below the names on the wall, followed shortly after by Matthew who also put his folded clothes on the altar, next to Jack's as if to admit that they were leaving behind the life they knew. Once they had left them behind, Jack was given a set brass knuckles and Matthew was given a short katana. After being given their weapons, they followed their parents to a wide, flat plain where the occasional dried tree stump could be seen, where Kryin began.

"What you are going to do, will mostly focus on strength and endurance. But there will be some emphasis on using your mana."

"Well said Kyrin. But in order to be in touch with your mana, you must first be aware of it. What you felt on the ship was something far more powerful, the Ruby Crystal. With its power, which you must learn to tap into and control on your own, you will be able to be stronger, faster, and more deadly than ever, even being able to mix its power with your own mana to create an even more potent power. But for now, I want you both to focus on just the mana. It should feel like a large… hmmm, how would you describe it Kyrin?"

"Like a large lump, or just an immovable thing deep within yourself. Take this stance before you do anything: lower you center of gravity, keep your knees slightly bent and breathe with your eyes closed." Jack and Matthew simultaneously did as they were told, but no sooner had they closed their eyes, then an image of what they felt came to them like a hurricane. To them it looked to be a mountain of light, reaching far into the sky, farther than either of them could see with a blue core swirling around in the shape of a globe. When the both of them had said they had found it, it was just as easy for them to open their pathways for the mana to change its course and be applied to their weapons. That same day they were sent through a course where each of them were pushed to the limits, using mana techniques they had learned before they started to try and cut or punch through obstacles which would come at them from every angle as they ran. Most of the time the pair would be thrown back, or knocked to the ground, but they would help each other up and continue through the course where a set of gradually heavier weights waited for them. Once the round was complete, they would be allowed to rest for a short while and then sent through the course once again, this time on opposite sides. Even when they were utterly exhausted, they kept pushing each other, pumping each other up, taunting each other, even going so far as to call the other weak. But all in all, their strength and mana were steadily growing. When night fell, Dances and Kyrin had to make the two of them stop in order to get some rest that night. Even before the sun was up the next morning, the two of them were at it again, yelling, cursing and cheering as they pushed through the course time after time, using up their mana to the last drop, each time getting a little bit faster, or finally able to destroy a progressively hard obstacle. Two weeks into the training, Matthew and Jack were both given two new weapons: Matthew was given a large two handed sword which he wore over his back until something larger would come, and a sturdy single handed sword which he used most of the time. Jack was given a new set of gloves, the Double Tail, and a pistol which he shot at some of the targets set up around the course, even taking down a few low threat creatures that remained from the battles with the Black Mage. The rest of "the Five" were also given better tools to use: Jenny was given a stronger battle bow, along with a side arm crossbow that she would use from time to time, the Balanche. Olsen was given a heavier claw, the Meba, which could hold more and better throwing stars, the Kumbi, as well as a side iron dagger for close quarter's attacks. Helen as a gift for her progress was given a metal staff topped with a large amethyst, and trimmed in pure gold.

The remaining forty days were filled with the heartfelt yells as each of them pushed or were pushed to their limits and beyond. Every two days without fail, Aran and his Daughter Lillianne would come to check on the Guardians, marveling at their progress each time. Some days, Aran would lose track of his daughter only to find her watching Matthew mostly as he powered through his training course, the two of them steadily becoming stronger and better defined.

* * *

The Mage looked to Eleanor as she sauntered into the room, whispers arising as she came closer.

"Yes, mi Lord, the Slime King has been delivered to his domain. Isn't it time that you retire for the evening? You've been awake for nearly a month and a half. You should really get some rest." Eleanor said smoothly as she massaged his shoulders, then handed him a glass of her special mana potion which a Grand Skelosaurus, the more potent of the Skelegons, came in with on a silver platter. The Mage drank a sip of it and held it to the sun as he adjusted his stiff neck. However the only response she was given was his quickly drinking down the potion and hand her the glass back as whispers surrounded her once more.

"I meant no disrespect master. I am only thinking of your well being." The mage narrowed his eyes at her, turning his attention back to the world outside his window, almost seeming to ignore her before she nodded to herself and turned to leave his chamber, feeling slightly alone.


	7. Chapter 6: The Guardians Emerge

Chapter 6: The Guardians Emerge, Victorious

It felt like ages at first, but the two months in which 'The Five' were given to train and prepare ended more quickly than any of them were really aware of. Each of them had become far better than any of the Masters thought they were capable of, even going so far as being able to control the power of the crystals a small bit.

* * *

Jenny sped through the course which she had passed through thousands of times before, each day having it become longer with different turns or obstacles, and each time powering through them as though they were nothing. As she passed through the course one final time, her arms and shoulders glowed with a slight aqua light, enabling her to reach back and grab arrows to fire with blinding speed. As she went, unsuspecting illusion Slime creatures would be reduced to puddles, illusions of orange jumping mushrooms and pigs would be pinned to the surrounding trees, and the tricky walking stumps would be reduced to splinters. As Jenny came to a dead end in the course, she stopped, listening for any sound indicating that an enemy that might be ready to jump her. From behind her the brush closed in around her and then a small green snake launched itself at her, but was quickly pinned to a tree through its head from Jenny reaching for the small cross bow hanging on her hip. Something began melting out of the brush around her, creaking a snapping as they walked. Jenny then reached for her arrows in a blur, turning around in a circle, releasing each blue glowing arrow just as quick as she drew them, turning every one of the walking stumps to splinters. From behind the final bush in front of her jumped a small man holding what looked to be a mask made of wood over his face. She didn't have time to reach for an arrow, so she quickly drew her bow making aqua blue light appear from her hands as she drew. Letting the Spine Arrow go, it pierced through the mask and through the skull of the creature letting out a squeaking growl while it fell to the ground. The trees before her swept aside to allow her to walk across the finish of the training course. Over the past 2 months, Jenny had become quite the young woman: Her normally jaw length hair now came down to past her shoulders which had also taken on a strange green tint and her features became softer as well as her figure filling out. No longer was she the slim athletic track runner from Ohio; she was now a toned and attractive young woman.

"Well done Jenny. Today is final time that you have had to go through your training; you are now, an officially well trained marksman." Athena called. Jenny smiled with pride as Aran and Lillianne jumped down from the trees where they had been watching.

"I too am very impressed Miss Jenny. As a gift for completing your training, I give you these, The Huntress Armor. They will help you on your journey,." Aran pulled a set of folded, black and gold clothes from his nap sack and handed them to her.

"Your new bow is waiting in the changing room for you." Lillianne smiled broadly as Jenny took her gift and quickly ran into the changing room, where she found a bow that reached to her hip with the name "Ryden" written across the bow as well as a new crossbow, the Mountain. When she came out of the dressing room, she looked even more like a huntress than before. The snug fitting top accentuated her curves with something that looked like a one sided bikini top, and a short gold skirt over close fitting black pants and dark grey boots, edged at the top with gold, and finished with a black hat sporting a black feather in the band.

"I'm beginning to think that I won't need that Sky Lineros any time soon, this looks just fine." Jenny said, admiring herself in the mirror, slinging the quiver and bow over her shoulder and hanging the crossbow on her hip.

"Here, these are also for you. A pair of earrings called the Snail Eyes." Lillianne said as she held out a small pair of silver earrings decorated with a green gem. Quickly Jenny put them through her ears, despite the momentary pain of making a hole for them to go through. They all smiled as Jenny posed for a moment drawing her bow and taking a stance.

"The villagers will be pleased once they are reassured from your training. Now we must go and collect Helen. She should be finishing the last of her training any minute." Aran stated as the four of them quickly began running through the plains to the thick forests of Ellinia.

* * *

Helen waved her staff to the side casting a powerful fire spell which created a wall of flames roaring into existence and tearing through the branches as though they were mere paper dolls. The smell of rotting wood wafted into her nose as the dark walking stumps came lumbering into her path, making tiny roots shoot into her path. She quickly pointed her fingertips at them, spreading her hand out while a hazy lavender cloud swirled from her arm into the sky making streams of lighting rain down on them and burn them to a crisp. From above her, a large green spider hung down from its web, waiting for any kind of pray to wander into its strong and sticky silk. Helen hadn't time to recover from the spell cast at the walking stumps and collided right into the large web, sticking to the threads as though it were glue. The spider slowly walked its way over the threads to where its next meal had stumbled, being almost as big as Helen was tall. Just before the spider was about to sink its fangs into her skin, a cloud of lavender enveloped Helen as she appeared a short distance away, then held her staff at arm's length drawing it as though it were a bow. A blue cloud was emitted from the staff and her drawing hand creating a giant bow and arrow made of sacred light. The Sacred Arrow hit the spider right in the heart making it scream in a high pitched note as it fell to the ground with its strange color blood oozing from where the arrow had been a moment earlier. Helen then cast a spell which froze the web allowing her to hit it with the end of her staff and break it into thousands of tiny shards. No sooner had she broken the web then a pack of charging boars came at her. Quickly she drove the end of her staff into the ground and made a few seal movements with her hands and fingers then turned both her palms to them which pulled a small amount of a poison she herself made from a pouch on her waist. The small drop was inflated in a bubble, and then burst making a cloud of poison vapors fall over the pack. Instantly the pack stopped and began to writhe and convulse on the ground, letting Helen walk across the finish of her obstacle course for the final time while holding her breath just as Aran and the others came into the clearing where Grendal and Helen stood. Jenny almost didn't recognize her friend since the girl that she had known now only existed in her facial features. Her hair had become much longer, cascading down in long luscious red locks to her thighs which began to look as though it had taken on a slight shade of violet as well as her clear eyes seeming to house a strange a powerful light deep within them. To add to her confusion it seemed that Helen had also filled out, but despite the changes the two of them had gone through they still ran and hugged each other.

"Jenny! You look so different! You look good, especially with that outfit and new bow of yours."

"I could say the same for you. I almost didn't recognize you!" the two of there were interrupted by Grendal who cleared his throat, making Jenny back up a bit so that he could speak to his Granddaughter.

"Helen, you have surpassed my expectations as a mage. Even gaining a small bit of control over the Amethyst Crystal and using its power in tandem with your mana. And as such, I am extremely proud of you." Aran then stepped forwards and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Helen, you are truly the Guardian Mage. The pain, tears, sweat and blood that you have shed haven't gone unappreciated. In honor of your completion, I present you with this, the Fairy Attire." Taking the clothes she quickly ran into a changing room where she donned her new gift which she had been shown before her training began. When she came out they all stared in wonder for a moment at her transformation just by changing her clothes.

"I'm no fashion expert, but that looks really good on you Helen." Lillianne said smiling as she handed her a beautiful pair of earings; the Dark Shards. Tear drop shaped plates of Onyx centered on a chip of Amethyst. Since Helen already wore earrings, she quickly changed them for the prettier ones, as Grendal lowered a ring of gold onto her head.

"Now you really do look like a mage." Jenny smiled which Helen returned as they hugged each other again.

"I have already spoken to Dark Lord and Olsen. They will be meeting us in Perion where we will collect Matthew and Jack." Aran announced. Nodding, the small group sped off to the hills where even from their great distance they could see clouds of dust of smoke rising from over the hills.

* * *

Four unsuspecting walking stumps were cut through the middle with something that looked like a blue fin, making Matthew's two handed sword ring loudly. Just as he finished his attack and was reaching for his Viking, Jack came careening over his head, fist glowing violet and drawn back as a boar was struck and sent flying, the ground shaking slightly from the hard hit. Jack was caught off guard as large trunk of a tree came falling on top of him but was stopped as Matthew caught it and held it up for a moment while it was soon turned to splinters by Jack with an earth shaking punch. Matthew drew his Viking and growled, a blue cloud descending over him while small blue streaks covered Jack. Just as Matthew finished, giant boulders came falling down a hill right for them, which in a quick moment were cut clean in two as Matthew raised the sword and then swung hard after a gathering of violet light at the guard pushed the sword right through the boulders though it were butter.

"I thought that thing was going to be tougher." Jack said through huffs, as he quickly pulled his pistol and fired two well placed shots into the head of a Horned Ghost who was rising behind Matthew.

"It's all in… perspective!" in a blur Matthew drew his two handed sword from over his back and drove it through the stone mask of a creature getting ready to pounce on Jack from behind. After the creature's eyes rolled back in its head and the body went limp, Matthew threw it to the side and then re-sheathed the sword as the two of them continued. Lillianne was the first to arrive, watching Matthew carefully like a puma, eager to see how he had progressed. When the two of them came to the end, a thick stone wall stood between them and their finish. Matthew sheathed the Viking, and drew the two handed sword again as Jack holstered the gun and adjusted his knucklers. The two of them stood silent for a moment until a red glow began surrounding them and their weapons while a breeze gently swirled around them. Jack took a few steps backwards; Matthew stepped as far back as he could ready to stab through the wall. Red light began gathering around the guard of Matthew's sword, gaining pitch as Jack drew back his fist with the same thing seeming to happen. Jack suddenly let out an effort filled screaming grunt as he turned into a perpendicular cyclone. Just as he came level with Matthew, he too yelled as he drove the sword forwards into the wall; both of them hit simultaneously with such force that it caught Dances and Kryin off guard who were standing on the other side as rock and dust came shooting out making them have to duck out of the way. Jack and Matthew could be seen walking through the cloud of dust across the finish with an aloof saunter, exchanging hand slaps as though it were a secret handshake. Lillianne's eyes were wide with surprise; to think that someone just two months ago doubted who he was, now had this level of control over the Ruby Crystal? She shook her head and laughed under her breath; she had heard that the Ruby Crystal was the most potent of the crystals. Such power, such muscle, such…

"What do you think Lilly?" Lillianne jumped as Aran quietly came up behind her.

"Dad! I told you never to call me that. I'm not a little kid anymore." Aran just laughed until something making a fluttering noise came flying in to burry itself into the tree. Turning back, Aran saw Olsen crouching on a branch with Dark Lord standing next to him. Jenny and Helen showed up on the ground not too long afterwards, and hardly recognized the boy that was standing before them. The last they had seen of Olsen, he had long blond hair with a twinkle in his blue eyes; but the boy that was standing before them was different, much different. His hair was softer looking, cut just below his ears and draping over one eye with some streaks of hair beginning to turn a pastel pink. He wore a red close fitting shirt and pants; over his shins he wore golden armor with the sleeves of his shirt being the same armor, while a red cap with goggles sat atop his head with heavy steel chainmail boots adorning his feet.

"I almost didn't recognize you two. You've really changed the both of you; I could feel your power from a ways off." Olsen said as he dropped down from the branch he crouched on and swung down just in front of Jenny which instantly made her cheeks flare bright red as Aran and the others came to where they were.

"I hope we didn't miss any of the good stuff." Said Matthew, sliding his sword onto his back while Jack undid the buckles holding the Primes to his hands; both of them were hardly recognizable. Matthew's usually moderate, golden brown hair came down to the middle of his back and was a dark red, and Jack no longer had the half inch spikes; his hair too was much longer standing in long strands held in place by a bandana also dark red, and both of them had bulked up so much they looked like body builders.

"Hey, why is it that we three have gone through the same rigorous training, and theirs is the only hair that had completely changed color?" Helen asked picking up a few strands of her hair and looking at the slight shade of lavender it had turned. Aran scratched his forehead for a second and then looked to Grendal as though asking for some help.

"To put it plainly, you need to learn to use the crystal's power far more. Since Jack and Matthew's skills don't require as much thinking, they were able to gain far more control over it. But don't worry; more control will come to you with time." The two of them were quickly shown into the changing rooms were their training gifts awaited. Matthew was the first to appear, wearing a black robe trimmed in gold with a gold dragon embroidered into the front while Silver Grieves adorned his feet and a Great Helm of Ruby guarded his head. Across his back was a giant Black Scimitar while the smaller straight sword, the Silver Gladius hung from his belt. Jack was the second to emerge, dressed in a fine white tank top with a handkerchief around his neck, loose fitting brown leather pants and sturdy leather shoes. On his head was a Sea Man's hat, while the Primes that he wore were accented by the leather bracers on his fore arms and the larger Cold Colt pistol sat on his belt. Lillianne took three pairs of earrings from her nap sack, handing a pair of Amethyst earrings to Olsen, then quickly handed Jack a pair of rare Red Emerald earrings. When she came to Matthew, she took his hand and placed the same earrings in his hand along with a small piece of paper and closed his hand over it.

"Take these as a gift from me for finishing your training." She said, her cheeks flushing red slightly at the feel of Matthew's hands in hers. She quickly backed away as the masters then gathered them to one place so Aran could speak to them again.

"Your training thus far has been to at least prepare you for what lays ahead. Things my seem easy now, but trust me, they are only going to get harder. To help protect you on your journeys, I have one final gift for you all: The Gaia Mantles. These Mantles were formed by Minerva herself and hidden deep within the caves of the mighty Zakuhm. Lady Helen, to you I give you the Ebony Gaia Mantle of Shadows. This mantle will guard you and any it covers from any magic thrown at you: the stronger the magic, the stronger the resistance. However the ancient writing on the hem of this mantle holds a powerful spell to use against any foe: decipher the writing and you will be able to wield such power." Helen stepped forwards to accept the heavy cape as Aran fastened it around her shoulders and then returned the others.

"Master Olsen, you have the honor of wearing the Crimson Gaia Mantle of Fire. This mantle will protect you or anyone it covers against any sort of fire, even against the relentless breath of Horn Tail. The hotter the flames, the more it will protect you. Use this cape well, and it will afford you the power over fire, allowing you to bend any fire to your will, even to use the fire as your own. Only a soul with understanding and discipline will be able to unlock the power within this mantle." Olsen willingly accepted the great gift, while Aran fastened it to his shoulder guards allowing him to return to the others.

"Miss Jenny, to you I bestow the Azure Gaia Mantle of Water. This mantle has the power within it to calm any storm and will defend you or anyone it covers from any water based attack. However only someone with a free spirit, unbound by the circumstances such as you can unlock the power to calm such storms at will. Listen to the waters and the flow of power, and you will unlock its secrets. " Jenny almost seemed like she was drawn forward while Aran placed the cape around her shoulders and secured it, allowing her to walk proudly back in line with the others.

"Sir Jack, to you I endow you with the Emerald Gaia Mantle of Earth. With this mantle, you or anyone it covers will be protected from even the worst of Earthquakes and any landslide or rock hurled at you. Listen to the voice of this grand mantle, and it will allow you to bend the earth to your will, allowing you to even call upon the rocks of the deep to your aid. Be firm, unwavering, and this mantle will teach you the secrets that even I cannot fathom." Jack bowed his head once he had stepped forwards while Aran fastened the cape to his neck.

"And to you Lord Matthew, I give the Golden Gaia Mantle of Light. This mantle will guard you or anyone it covers against even the strongest of physical attacks, not even the sharpest sword will cut through its cloth. Embedded into the cloth is a very old code of Knights that when read in full, will allow you the power over light, even allowing you to make it into a tangible weapon. Only someone with the values of putting another's life before their own, will the code reveal itself. Take care of those around you, and the Mantle will reveal its power to you." Matthew knelt as the cape was draped over his shoulders and fastened to the fine robe he wore.

"Each of these gifts are tools to be used; use them wisely and you will be the greatest of heros this world has ever seen; greater even then me." Just as Aran was about to turn and go to meet up with Shanks, something began to permeate the air, a musty smell that was sweet at the same time. A vibration felt as though it shook the ground making the ground and the small rocks that were around then jump around and shudder from whatever it was that was far below.

"What was that?" asked Olsen, looking around to try and find what it was that had made the vibration while he drew his dagger to the ready.

"That was something that I haven't felt in a while." Athena whispered.

"What? What?" Jenny asked, drawing her bow with an arrow at the ready.

"That is the very first of beasts that we eliminated from the Ossyria, the Slime King." The five looked at each other and then Matthew spoke up.

"You mean…. The Kerning City Party Quest boss?" Aran raised an eyebrow as he looked to Grandal who nodded.

"Yes, him… this will be your first mission. Go to him and question him on what the Black Mage has planned, get whatever information you can out of him, if he becomes violent, do not hesitate to eliminate him, he just as much a threat to the people of Ossyria even if he wasn't under the Black Mage." The five of them quickly set out, journeying through the deserts of Perion and into the suburban area of Kerning once they had been given instructions on how to get there and where they would meet once they had dealt with this foe. Even though he had been training there for the past two months, Olsen still couldn't believe that this city was once the proud Kerning that he often played as his thief from the game. The other four couldn't believe it either since what they knew to be Kerning was an actual city, not this desolate ghost town. Just as they were reaching the underground drains, Olsen stopped them, listening to the air around him.

"Olsen, what's the matter?" Jenny asked.

"You don't feel that?" he asked, looking back to her with wide eyes. Jenny shook her head as she slowly drew her bow.

"If this thing, which is the weakest of all party quest boss monsters, is working for the Black Mage and can emanate this level of evil, I can only imagine what the Mage is like." The others took a few steps forwards, then they too felt it: a chilling cold that seeped into their very beings with a blood lust that could make a sea seem like a small puddle. Matthew drew the Gladius while Jack tightened his knucklers, and Helen readied with warm flame in her hand. Slowly the group crept forwards out of the pipe that they were in into the swamps behind Kerning that lead down into the Sleeping Wood.

"Split up, but stay within eye sight. Holler if you see it." Olsen commanded quietly. Slowly they trekked through the mud and vines that were dotted with the occasional group of Alligators or Crocodiles which slipped into the water with little or no sound. They all were thrown off balance when a hard jolt in the ground came from nowhere: Jack quickly crouched to the ground to keep his balance, and then remembered his mantle. He pulled it around himself and instantly the ground below his feet stopped shaking while all around him still shook: It was strange, but it was something that he could get used to. When he pushed aside his cloak he could see resting before him the creature that they were looking for: the Slime King. Matthew was stunned, he knew that he was big in the game, but this blob that was before him was so much bigger.

"Are you the Slime King!?" shouted Jack as he took a step back and readied to attack with his fist flaring red. The blob turned its eyes on its body to him.

"And what would you do If I say that I am?" he asked, his voice much deeper and sinister then he was ready for.

"We have some questions to ask you." Helen said firmly, trying to seem brave as the Slime turned its eyes to her.

"Really? And what is it that you want to know?" Bubbles inside the transparent green body of the Slime floated to the top of its body as though it were getting agitated. Matthew stepped forwards between her and the slime as he held the Gladius as though holding her back.

"What is it that the Black Mage has in mind? Going to all this trouble just to get the Masters to return can't be his only goal." Matthew demanded as the Slime just smiled.

"You're right, that isn't his only goal. His goals are so much simpler, and yet so far advanced, that you can even fathom it. The Black Mage would laugh in your face if he was here." Olsen landed next to the Slime as something black flashed in front of Matthew while a slit in the skin of the slime appeared, oozing thick green liquid from the cut.

"We aren't here to play 20 questions you snot drop. What does the Black Mage have planned?" the slime looked to Olsen and slowly blinked as it shook his head and its wound healed over, pulling the oozing slime back into it body.

"Drop the tough act, it's annoying." The Slime growled. Olsen didn't know what it was, but he could sense that something was coming, something big and painful.

"GET BACK!" he shouted just before the Slime leapt into the air, putting quite a few feet between him and the ground. Before he came back down, Jack concentrated a bit of mana in his hands which he then compressed into what looked like a grenade. He pulled pin with his teeth and threw it under him, while Jenny drew back her arrow, concentrating a bit of mana at the end of the arrow. Once she had done that, a greenish blue haze engulfed the bow and propelled the arrow with a horrendous force, landing just in front of the grenade Jack had thrown a moment earlier. Just as the Slime landed, Helen spread her fingers out as she faced her palms to the Slime which froze it in place. Matthew was about to begin his attack, but the earth shaking landing from the Slime made him and Helen lose their footing and break the ice that held him. Inside his body a bright light shone for a moment as the arrow and grenade exploded making a huge internal bubble of black smoke. The slime looked left and right, and then belched out the cloud within, belching as though he had taken a large swallow of soda. Quickly the Five got to their feet and began attacking how they could: Matthew drew his Scimitar and slammed the Galdius back into its sheath while Jack picked himself up while a swirl of blue smoke swirled around them both, making their movements faster. Matthew ran at the slime, cutting deep and long through the skin of the blob while Jack drew his pistol and fired two shots periodically at the closest edges of the outer skin. Olsen flitted from tree to tree, making cuts here and there on his body while he threw hot pink flaming stars at him. Jenny drew her bow back may times as she ran, using a combination of her Spine Arrow and the Arrow Bomb, which would make a small section of the King blow out. Helen drew her Sacred Arrows followed quickly by either lightning strikes or blasts of ice to freeze or fry the inside of the beast. Once they had finished their onslaught, the King looked more like a puddle then the King Slime, but no sooner had they stopped then he pulled the goop of his body back together and healed the wounds. Four of them continued attacking, while Olsen stayed back: something about their approach seemed off. He then thought back to something that he had heard Athena say back while on their journey to Victoria.

_"Those weren't Crimson Balrog. Here they are simply, Crimson. While we were talking with the creators at Nexon, we helped then in renaming some of the beasts for the game. Some of the creatures here go by the same name, while others go by something similar but not exactly the same."_ That one thought kept rolling around in head like a scratched CD. If some creature's names were different, then that could also mean that some of the characteristics of monsters here were different as well.

"Everyone! Listen! There might be something we're missing! Retreat and regroup!" Matthew looked back for a moment and then raised his sword high as a blue light gathered around the guard, forcing the sword down with an earth pounding force which split the Slime down the middle allowing the others to retreat into the forest with Olsen. Once they had gotten a fair distance away, Jenny was the first to ask what it was that Olsen was thinking.

"Well, do you remember what your mom said about some of the names of creatures here being different? What if that doesn't apply _just_ to their names? What if that also applied to their attributes and abilities?"

"Now that I think about it, there is one thing that seemed different about the Slime King here. There was something floating inside of it towards the top which was connected to his eyes." Helen said as she looked up to see whether or not the blob was coming.

"Then that means all we've been doing is wearing ourselves out. All he's doing is just gathering the slime of his body back together. If my thinking is right, then that thing floating inside the Slime King is what's keeping it together. If we can destroy that, then I think we can bring him down." Answered Olsen.

"Olsen, this isn't a game. This is real. What you're talking about doing isn't just finishing a quest: We're going to be killing something. Sure what ever we've been training with up to this point has been fake, but this is a real live thing." Jack pointed out, which made all of them stop and think. This was no longer in the fun game; this was life and death for them.

"For now, let's just stick to the plan. We'll deal with whatever comes afterwards." Matthew said solemnly as he drew his Gladius and made it flare red, putting a finger to his lips. Slowly he stood and pushed aside some of the vines, revealing that the Slime was quietly rolling through the swap, looking for them.

"So what's the plan?" Matthew whispered as he crouched back down.

"We'll do this. Jenny, Jack and I will create a diversion by attacking from the front, while Matthew and Olsen get behind and above him. When I give the signal, Matthew will jump down first to cut an opening for Olsen who will follow closely behind so that he can get into the body of the Slime to deliver the final blow to whatever that thing is." They all nodded, Matthew and Olsen quietly creeping through the trees behind the monster while the others ran around to front of the Slime. When Matthew and Olsen were ready, Jenny let her arrow bomb go stopping the blob in mid stride, if it could be called a stride. Gritting its teeth, the Slime turned to where the others were, jumping high into the air at them. Matthew and Olsen stabbed into the tree they were standing on to keep their balance as the shudder from the landing made them nearly fall off. Helen fired a frozen sacred arrow at the Slime, which made the thick liquid even thicker, slowing it down. Matthew climbed back to his feet to see what he could, and then saw the thing Helen had been talking about: it wasn't just a "command center": it was the Slime's brain! Nerves intertwined throughout the goop of its body making it able to move while it bobbed here and there from its movement. Jack threw a powerful punch at the Slime's face, making it fly back slightly just below the tree Olsen and Matthew were standing in.

"DO IT NOW!" Helen shouted. Matthew crouched and grabbed onto the branch leaning forwards, then pushed off with enough force that the thick branch nearly broke, while Olsen back flipped under the branch and did the same. Is one quick Flash Edge, he drew his Gladius and cut a large opening, landing on the solid skin of the monster. Olsen pulled two stars from his stash and grunted as he threw them to open the pathway through his thick body to his brain while he drew two of his daggers holding them backwards. The Slime's eyes went wide when he felt what had happened, and quickly began closing the wound, which caught Olsen in his thick body just inches from the Slime's brain.

"I can't have you doing something like that. You're parents made me have to heal for over 20 years, But I won't be taken down so easily now." Something from the brain of the Slime began growing which looked to be a long slick hair while the brain moved further to the center of his body. When the hair broke through the top of his head, a small glob of his body hung at the end of the hair which stood straight up while the glob of his body glowed brightly. Olsen struggled as much as he could to swim further down to his target, but it seemed that every time he came close, the brain moved further down inside his body. Matthew tried to attack again, deeper this time to get Olsen out, but missed as Olsen swam deeper. Just as the glowing stopped, drops from the Slime's body dropped to the ground and began hopping around them, trying to attach to their head, but each time being turned to puddles as the four outside tried to fight off the slime army. Jack looked back to see the Slime squash his body as though he were getting ready to jump.

"Everyone! JUMP!" the Slime jumped high into the air, and landing with and earth cracking force, but they were unaffected by the shaking due to jumping before the Slime landed. Matthew looked to Olsen in his struggle and saw that his movements were becoming slower and his face had turned a strange blue color.

"JENNY! Get Olsen some air now!" Jenny quickly pulled two Arrows from her quiver, drawing her bow while an aqua light covered the bow. But even using her mana in tandem with the little control of the Emerald Crystal combined, it still wasn't enough reach far enough in before the Slime healed. Olsen tried time and time again, but more and more he felt that he needed to take a breath, but the thick goo around him wasn't the air he needed so he pressed on. But it wasn't long until his vision went black and he passed out, hanging limp in the thick goop. Matthew gritted his teeth and looked around at what he could do.

"Jack! Can you throw me above this giant booger?"

"Not with your swords, they make you too heavy." Jack answered as he punched through the slime in front of him and then elbowed another behind him. Matthew quickly undid the buckles that held his swords and let them fall to the ground as he began running.

"JACK! BOOST ME UP! JENNY! AIM HELEN'S STAFF AT ME!"

"But what if I…"

"JUST DO IT!" he said as he was thrown into the air above the Slime. Jenny took Helen's Staff and drew her bow, firing it at Matthew like he said to do. Matthew caught the staff then held it as through it were a sword while a light gathered where the guard would be and swung down hard. Since he wasn't standing on the ground, the staff's momentum pulled him down like lead plunging into the goop, quickly cutting a path all the way deep down into the Slime and driving the bottom of the staff through his brain. The Slime's eyes went wide, and then became slits as he called out in pain while the girth of his body melted into a giant puddle. Once Olsen was free, Jenny ran over to him and wiped away the slime on his face and nose, trying to get him to breath. She then set her bow down and began pressing on his chest in a rhythm.

"Comon Olsen! I don't want my first kiss to be like this!" Olsen's eyes opened and he coughed, breathing deep as small globs of slime were cleared from his lungs. Matthew shook his hands off while he stood, taking the staff out of the Slime's brain and shaking it off as well. Some of the slime around it gathered into a mouth and began speaking again, this time in a higher pitched voice.

"You have only begun to suffer! There are things that you have yet to do! Remember how this victory feels since you have all spilled the blood of your first enemy!"

"You can tell the Black Mage that we'll be coming for him in due time. And he _will_ be stopped." Jack growled.

"Don't forget that you are the ones who will reap the bloody seeds of your battle! The Black Mage cannot be stopped! And he will succeed in being supreme ruler!"

"What do you mean by Supreme Ruler?" Helen asked angrily. The eyes of the Slime appeared next to the mouth and seemed to smile.

"You're the smart one, you figure it out." His brain was frozen solid by Helen and then smashed to pieces as Jack fired his pistol into it.

"He's right you know. We just killed our first enemy. We _killed_ something." Jack said as he holstered his gun. The five remained silent for a while, accept for Olsen's occasional cough as Jenny crouched next to him.

"Come on, let meet up with our folks." Jenny suggested, breaking the odd silence. While they journeyed to Lyth Bay, formerly known to them as Lith Harbor, Olsen and Matthew dove into the creeks and streams on their way to clean the thick goop from their clothes and weapons. But even though the victory was their first, the fact that they had killed something which a few hours ago was alive and talking still hung over them like a dark cloud. Even the trip from Lyth back to Herb Town didn't seem all that victorious, but the return of The Five to Herb town made everyone there ecstatic to see that the kids that had two months before were just kids, had returned with the makings of all their hopes and dreams. Even though they felt saddened, they put those feelings aside to keep what they had seen and felt away from the people who saw them as their salvation, even from their parents who were there because they were dragged there.

* * *

The Mage smiled as he sat down in his chair while the crystal went dark. He had seen the entire battle which had just ensued, and was pleased with the results. Those pesky kids were going to be the finest heros he had ever encountered, but even they would be no match for him once he was able to put his plan into motion. Eleanor came sauntering in to his room sitting down at his feet and leaning against his knees. It had been well over 40 years since she had come into the service of the Black Mage whom she had discovered deep within the caverns of the Sleeping Wood among the ruins of the Sharenian temples. Her entire family, who she was the youngest of, had fallen ill and died before she could get back in time with medicine from Mu Lung to cure them, and in her grief wandered to the very place where the Black Mage had been sealed. She too was falling ill with the same sickness as her family, but the medicine that she had gotten did little to heal her. Seeing her in such a weakened state, weather it was out of pity or the pain of Minerva's memory, he offered to help cure her of what was plaguing her. She agreed, and the Mage began the slow process of healing her of a rare but deadly magical virus that ate away at one's mana until the body could no longer reproduce its own. Once she was healed, she pledged herself to him, latching onto him as though he was her father, or rather, something more since she had been cured by this man who seemed to have power beyond what she could fathom.

"Have you had any luck in finding Francis' soul?" the Mage asked as he stroked Eleanor's hair.

"In fact, yes I have. I've just sent the Grand Skelegons to retrieve it from the Sleeping Wood where he used to have his fortress of dolls." The Mage smiled and nodded, leaning down and kissing the top of her head at which she turned up to meet his hollow gaze.

"Once you have him, let me know and I will rebuild his body. We must gather the disciples back together, and you beautiful Eleanor, will have the pleasure of leading them." Eleanor smiled and blushed slightly, laying her head down on his knees again.

"Thank you master." She whispered. Even though he was the only thing in her life, she was thankful for him, because without him she wouldn't even have the power or life that she now had.

"_I know I've told you this a thousand times before, but thank you Mage. I owe you my life._" She thought, happily sitting at his feet while watching the sun go down from the window of his fortress.


	8. Chapter 7: New Bonds and Old Chains

Chapter 7: New Bonds and Old Chains

The next morning dawned slowly but couldn't break through the thick fog that hung over Herb Town, which never really seemed to lift even at noon. Olsen slowly awoke, rubbing his head from drinking too much Ginger Ale the previous night during the celebration that lasted nearly until midnight. As he wandered out to the front room, his dad sat drinking tea in the cool morning air.

"It's about time you got up sleepy head: it's almost 8 in the morning." Jin said as Olsen splashed a bit of rather refreshing water on his face.

"Gimme a break, I'm not exactly feeling like Prince Happy Feet over here you know." Dark Lord grunted and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder: he could understand what he felt. He could still remember what it was like when he had first killed something, even though it was for the greater good, it still clung to him for at least a week.

"Trust me, it may seem like it won't end, but that feeling will fade with time. " Olsen pulled his shoulder from under his dad's hand and walked back to his room where some casual clothes waited for him.

"I hope you're right." He said, closing the door. Not too long after he came out where the rest of 'The Five' were eating. More of the juicy peaches from Tae Sang's farm were waiting on the table where the others could be heard slurping as they ate. Jenny caught sight of him and quickly lobbed a peach to him, which he easily caught.

"I had feeling you'd be getting up soon." She laughed as Olsen sat down and laughed a bit. It wasn't long until they were talking and soon were surrounded by small children again who admired them as though they were gods, barely being able to finish their food when the kids all drug them out to a field where they played a giant game of tag with nearly 40 kids. But when the kids were busy chasing each other the five managed to disappear into the woodsy area around the Herb Town and just hang out in a circle until Olsen stood and stretched.

"Well, I'm gonna go exploring a bit. Don't know what I'll find, but I'll be back in town about noon. C'ya guys." A few stars jingled in his pocket as he left. Jenny quickly got up a followed him as he took off in a random direction.

"Olsen! Wait up!" she said as ran after him and disappeared into the woods. Jack was the next to get up and point in a general direction.

"Tis that way I shall search." He announced, Helen telling him that she would join him. Matthew was left alone, just to listen to the woods around him. It was quite, so much unlike the suburbs where he had grown up, but it was still much too quiet especially since there was no one else to hang out with. Jenny seemed like she was almost latched onto Olsen. He had a bit of a liking to Jenny at first, but as he watched her, he could tell that he had no chance after Olsen came to their school. He then turned his attentions to Helen; but it wasn't long until he began to get the feeling that he was slowly losing to Jack, even though time and time again Jack had told him that there was nothing between them. It never seemed to really go his way at all, so he just was the friend, the odd man out in the group. Of course there was always Lillianne who seemed to take a good liking to him. And then there was that note she had given him when she had given him the Red Emerald earrings. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the note and opened it. The neat handwriting that was inked onto the page read:

_Matthew,_

_ I'm going to be near the docks tomorrow until about mid morning. I would like to talk to you some more, come and see me if you would like._

_ Lillianne ~_

Matthew sighed. Sure he would love to go and see her, but there was also the fact that she was the daughter of Aran which not only meant that right now she was probably more powerful than him, but also meant Aran would pretty much destroy him if he got the wrong idea about anything. Well, it was worth the risk, if meant that he wouldn't be so alone. Putting the note back in his pocket, he made his way back to the village and to the docks where either his future or death awaited.

* * *

Olsen and Jenny were well away from the others when they came to a tall rocky mountain that reached into the clouds. Olsen took a hand full of stars from his pocket and took a few steps back, launching each of the stars into the rock, making a stairway of sorts to a ledge about 30 feet from the ground.

"And where are we gonna go now genius? There's no way for us to get up there, the steps are too small." Olsen just laughed as he quickly ran up the steps to the ledge and back flipped into it and firmly landing, putting his fists to his hips proudly.

"Just like that, Miss Jenny." Olsen replied, doing as best he could to imitate Aran's voice, taking a bow. Jenny pursed her lips and stamped her foot.

"Hey I could do that too, you fancy footed…. Person!" she shouted back.

"Then do it." Challenged Olsen, crossing his arms and waiting in well faked anticipation. Jenny growled as she lined herself up with the stars and then made a quick run at them, jumping up from the ground to each progressively higher star. Just before she reached the top star, a shoelace caught on the previous star, making her stop in mid jump and fall back first towards the ground. Olsen reached down, but missed her hand by mere millimeters as she fell. Jenny tried to right herself, but with the position she was falling in she had no way of correcting her fall to land on her feet. Olsen fell forwards and pushed off the rock, shooting down to a tree branch then shooting to the rock face again, back to the tree and then to the ground, catching Jenny as both his arms glowed with a faint pale pink cloud while the patches of pick in Olsen's hair became slightly larger. Jenny looked into Olsen's face and could barely talk; she was so close to the very guy that she liked so much and who even _caught_ her. She couldn't say anything for the next couple seconds that passed until Olsen began to set her down.

"No wait… can you carry me up there?" Jenny asked somewhat innocently. Raising his eyebrows, he shrugged, and then quickly ran up the steps as he had before setting Jenny down with an eerie silence while looking over the tops of the trees where dreary clouds floated overhead threatening to rain. Jenny took a few steps into the crag from something that caught her eye, but when she looked back, the way Olsen was standing just made him look so cool. Olsen still had trouble getting through his head that just a couple months before he was just a normal kid.

"Olsen, could I talk to you for second?" Jenny asked while Olsen looked back for a moment and then sat down on the edge, leaning back on his hands.

"I'm all ears."

"Well, what I wanted to ask you is if you ever had someone that you miss back in Ohio?" Olsen thought about it for a minute.

"There was one of my buddies that I used to hang with before I met you guys, but he moved to like New Hampshire or something like that. Other than him… not really." Jenny's spirits perked up a little. Now her chances were slowly turning in her favor.

"So, you never had anyone that you liked?"

"Not really, I mean I had a few girls which I thought were cute, but not too many that I would actually want to date. Where are you going with this?" Jenny nodded, sitting down next to him and pulling her legs up to her chest.

"To tell the truth, I've…" She stopped mid sentence, losing all her nerve to really come out and say what it was that she wanted to say.

"Never mind, it's nothing."

"No, now you got me interested. What were you gonna say?"

"I said it's nothing."

"Then why is that you're hiding your face and you cheeks are bright red?" Jenny felt her blood pressure shoot up as she turned around right into the face of Olsen.

"I love you Ok!?" Olsen backed up a little as he pushed his eyebrows up and tilted his head to the side while Jenny's face went redder than ever, getting up and walking to another part of the crag as the sky began to sprinkle.

"Is that why every time I've seen you, you never really say much?" Jenny didn't say anything from being lost in her own thoughts.

"_What have I done? What have I unleashed?"_ she asked herself over and over, not noticing the rain as it slowly became harder, making the moss on the rock become slippery until her foot slipped making her fall back. But before she fell very far, Olsen was standing behind her holding her up.

"It's ok. To tell the truth I've wanted to ask you out a few times but I was never sure that you were available." Slowly he pulled Jenny back under the protective roof of the crag where the two of them sat to wait out the rain storm. Luckily, and just out of a last minute decision he had brought his Crimson Gaia with him which he wrapped around them both. Jenny was happy and nervous at the same time, feeling relieved that she had told him what she felt, but not really sure that she was suddenly ready for it since Olsen was now putting his arm and Mantle around them. She decided to worry about it later and just watch the rain as it fell. But little did they know of what lay below.

* * *

Jack and Helen chased each other through the woods, playing a game of their own version of tag which would have them using their new powers to their advantage. Helen would teleport herself next to Jack, tag him and then flit away again so that Jack couldn't tag her back. No sooner had she tagged him then she would feel her shoulder be touched as Jack would blow past her with what looked to be dust or smoke appearing around his feet.

"Give it up Helen! You can't beat me!" Jack called as he ran between the trees.

"Oh? I'd like to see you try mister!" she laughed as she would flit here and there in short bursts to catch Jack once more. With a quick thought she spread out her hand as a patch of ice appeared where Jack was running; he tried to correct his path but stepped on the ice sending him sliding into a tree face first.

"Ow! Oh man Helen, why'd you do that?" Jack asked through his hands as his nose began to gush blood. Helen laughed and gasped at the same time as she quickly ran over to him.

"Take your hands down and let me see?" she said, pushing Jack's head back and bringing his hands down.

"Doesn't look too bad; here this'll fix you up in no time." She held her hand over his nose which gathered a small slate colored cloud in her hand which turned green-gold, healing the wound in Jack's nose. When she finished, Jack moved his lips and nose around, trying to get rid of the bad tickle.

"That is one weird feeling." Jack said, shaking the blood from his fingers and then rubbing dirt on them to get rid of what remained.

"I know what you mean… It felt weird to me too." Jack smiled and paused a bit before quickly slapping Helen on the shoulder and dashing off into the woods again.

"You're it!" he shouted as he ran off. Helen laughed and chased after him again until Jack made a wrong turn and came to a small cave which sat not too far from Tae Sang's peach farm. Looking up at the sky he noted that the clouds were getting darker: a rainstorm was on its way in and they were kind of far from the Village. Jack stumbled forwards as Helen tagged him and slowed in the cave.

"Are we playing hide a go seek now?" she asked, stepping backwards a bit as Jack chuckled and stepped into the cave.

"I guess. But we'd have to stay here for a while, there's a rain storm on the way in."

"Well I'm gonna go get some peaches before that happens." Helen ran out of the cave again while Jack searched around the cave looking for branches and twigs to make a fire. Rain always made everything colder. Before Helen could return to the cave, the sky let go in buckets of rain making her long hair become soaked within a few minutes. But once she returned she found Jack kneeling at a small pile of wood trying to get it to ignite with a flint. Helen snapped her fingers which made the wood flare into fire, making Jack fall back a bit in surprise.

"Cheater." He mumbled under his breath as he got back up and put a few more pieces of wood onto the pile. Helen just laughed as she set down the peaches for a moment to ring out her hair. When Jack looked up, he saw Helen this time, _really_ saw her. Maybe it was just the circumstances, or just the dull light from outside and the fire light from inside the cave that made her look different, but for the first time he really thought that she didn't just look good, she looked beautiful. He shook his head, tossing aside those thoughts telling himself that they were just really good friends. Once Helen was done, he had regained his composure and began eating one of the peaches while Helen sat next to the fire and warmed her hands. As Jack sat there though, she really took a harder look at the friend she had known for half her life. To her, she never noticed the firm features of his face, or his broad shoulders. To her, she really hadn't noticed how much that he wasn't so much the player as he was a steady friend, or maybe even more. Jack felt like someone was looking at him and turned to Helen raising his eye brows.

"What? Is there a piece of peach or something on my face?" he asked, feeling all over his chin and wiping away the peach juice running down his jaw. Helen chuckled and crawled over to him with a small towel from her pocket.

"Here, let me." Jack reached for the towel but Helen pulled it away. Jack reached for it again and Helen pulled it further away. The two of it kept this up until Helen fell backwards and Jack fell on top of her, holding himself up on his hands not two inches from her face. The two of them didn't move for a moment, each of them looking deep into each other's eyes and really seeing each other for the first time. Then all at once Jack jumped back and Helen scrambled to a seated position around the fire once more.

"_It was just an accident, it really didn't mean anything, right?" _Helen asked herself as she looked back at Jack, brushing her fingers madly through her hair as she met his gaze. The time that passed afterwards was a bit awkward as the two of them sat across from each other and tried to talk about anything that came to mind while the rain began falling harder outside. But little did they expect what was to come.

* * *

The bear sat asleep in his cave, living on nothing more than peaches for the past few years so that he could meditate and make amends for the terrible things that he had done without his knowing. Often he would find his claws covered in blood, or suddenly wake holding someone by the throat ready to kill them. As a last resort to keep those terrible things from happening anymore, he moved far away from the village and lived in a cave so that no harm would ever come to his friends again. His teacher, No Gong would sometimes come, or a young panda named Tae Soo would bring him a peach or two and a letter, keeping him in contact with someone at least. The entrance of his cave darkened as a blue cloaked figure came in from out of the rain, his light blue hair cover the sinister orange eyes while small golden threads hung from his fingertips. Upon feeling the presence come into his cave, the bear opened his eyes to the small figure standing before him.

"Tae Roon, I have come to employ your skills once more." The boy persuasively said as he smiled, holding up his hand slight before throwing his fingers forwards making the golden threads shoot out from his Fingers. Tae Roon quickly moved to the side avoiding the strings, and standing to his feet, taking a fighting stance.

"You cannot control me any longer Gobin, I have broken your hold over me." Tae Roon replied.

"That may be true, but a puppet can never outrun his master." Tae Roon swiftly swung his paw at the young boy, easily stopping the powerful blow with just his hand. Tae Roon swung with his other paw, but the same thing happened, finding himself being flung back against the wall as the small boy kicked his gut.

"You will be my puppet once more Tae Roon. Otherwise the Master will unleash his armies onto the very place that you used to call home."

"You can't do this! I will not be our slave! I have atoned for what I have done and I will ask my Master's forgiveness!"

"You _WILL_ be my puppet! And you will _NEVER_ be forgiven for the deeds that you have done!" the boy said through clenched teeth as he came closer, holding the tips of his fingers out too him as Tae Roon cringed and tried to claw a path through the back wall of the cave.

"No! NO! NOOOOOO!"

* * *

Matthew walked nonchalantly through the village as he made his way to the docks where the letter said Lillianne was going to be. In all actuality, Matthew was rather nervous with trying to meet her, because he knew what her father was capable of, and he knew what she was capable of, at least compared to him they were already gods among men. To calm himself Matt would then ask himself "what could possibly go wrong?" Deep inside though, he had a feeling that everything could go wrong. As he neared the docks he began looking around for Lillianne in her familiar armor, but didn't see anyone that looked like her walking all the way to the end of the docks, not seeing anyone there. He sighed, seeming to have expected this: either he was too late, or it wasn't really something that was meant to be.

"I was getting worried, thinking that you weren't going to come." The voice of Lillianne said, sounding like it was walking up behind him.

"To tell the truth I thought that it was…" as he turned around, he was unprepared for what he saw: instead of being dressed in her armor with her heavy halberd slung over her shoulder, she was dressed in a white kimono, edged in golden yellow with a pale blue obi tied back around her trim waist. Her hair was let down over one shoulder in a white cascade with a sky blue hibiscus tied into her hair. Matthew could only stare, not expecting _her_ to be dressed so elegantly.

"What? Is something wrong with it?" Lillianne asked and began looking all over it to try and find some flaw that she had over looked. Matthew shook himself out of his trance as he stammered an answer.

"Oh, um, no you look, whew, it's beautiful." He answered, stumbling over words as he tried to find better ones to describe what he saw. Lillianne smiled and walked to him, putting her arms around his.

"Well then, let me show you around." For the next 2 hours, Matthew was led around Herb Town, much more than just the portside village: It was an actual city. Here and there, into small gift shops they looked, stopping for a bit to get an ice cream sundae to share or look at a small trinket. Matthew kept a weather eye on the sky, stopping by his place and grabbing the black umbrella Mr. Botomi had given him as a thank you gift for accepting to be Ossyira's protector. Lillianne was having the time of her life to be the escort of the Guardian Swordsman of Ossyria which was something that she used to dream of as a child, often looking into the sky between her training sessions and wondering what the Guardian Swordsman would be like. Of course she was trained to be a warrior from the first time she could hold a bo staff, so right now she was many times more powerful then Matthew. But given time and training, Matt would surpass her thousands of times over; that thought alone pushed her to be the best that she could be. When noon struck, Dances With Balrog happened to come upon the two of them just leaving a shop.

"Matthew! Have either of you… Well look at you Lillianne; You look so stunning. I bet Matthew here thinks the same thing." Lillianne blushed and looked away while Matthew pulled the corner of his mouth up as if to say 'did you really have to go there'?

"Back to my question, have either of you seen the others?" Lillianne raised her eyebrows as Matthew scratched his head.

"Now that I think about it, I haven't seen any of them all day. They said they were going meet us back here at noon for lunch or something after they had gone exploring, but they have yet to show up. Maybe they took shelter somewhere in case it was going to start raining; It does look pretty dark." Dances nodded worriedly as Grendal came floating down from his search above town.

"Have you had any luck Glen?"

"Not a lick." Matthew pulled his arm away from Lillianne for a moment.

"What's the matter? Is there something they should be worried about?"

"As a matter of fact son, yes there is: Tae Roon. No Gong told me that even though he has had the pulp beaten out of him time and time again, he still won't give up. For many years Tae Roon has been living in a cave outside of town, but he was seen just a moment ago near the village. No Gong tried to talk to him but he didn't respond and shortly after disappeared."

"Wait… that big bear from Mu Lung? The Boss?"

"Yes him. In the game it was said that he was under the control of the Goblin King. That is not entirely the case: Tae Roon was training in the woods when a man, or rather a boy, approached him commenting on his skill and saying his name was Gobin. Tae Roon turned away from him for only a moment and was rendered unconscious. When he awoke, he found his claws were covered in blood, many of his people were killed. Time and time again he would become unconscious, even though No Gong, Do Gong and Tae Roon all searched for a way to break the curse. It was later found that Tae Roon was being controlled. The Story about him leaving the village is true: through many years of meditation and mind training, Tae Roon was able to tell his old Master, No Gong that it wasn't just anyone. It was a boy who had joined the following of the Black Mage, the puppet master Francis."

"Wait… Francis is dead; why is there a need to be worried?" Lillianne asked.

"There have been disturbing sightings of the child puppeteer near the cave of Tae Roon the past twelve hours. I can only assume how he is alive, but that is not the issue. If the others are still out in the forest, I have a bad feeling that Tae Roon will be used as Francis' tool to kill them. Roon is far more powerful then they can handle right now, so we must search for them and get them back quickly." Grendal said as a mist of rain began to fall.

"Matthew, meet me at the east entrance of the village, I'm going to get my armor and weapon." Lillianne said as Matthew nodded while she dashed away in a flash of swirling blue wind. Dances followed Matthew back to the house as he quickly changed into his armor.

"Matthew, you do know that you are going up against something that you aren't ready for, don't you?" Matthew looked back as he sheathed the Black Scimitar hard.

"I won't know until I try." He said as a small thread of lightning struck at his feet making a small violet cloud while he clipped his Golden Gaia on with authority. Dances backed up a bit as he left, running towards the east gate to meet Lillianne, shaking his head and grabbed his axe to run after them. Matthew was stubborn a determined, but with his power at its current level, there would be no way he would be able to come out alive

* * *

Jack suddenly pulled his head up from his knees after falling asleep: he had no idea what it was that jerked him awake, but he was glad that it did because the fire had died down to just coals. Searching around a bit, he found some burnable things and threw them on the fire to bring it back to life. Off to the side Helen slept with Jack's jacket for a blanket, sleeping soundly and dreaming of whatever lay ahead. Jack watched her for a bit, reaching out his hand to brush aside a lock of her hair when he pulled it back and shook his head.

_"There's nothing there, we're just close friends."_ He thought. Something else felt like it was coming closer: Jack couldn't put his finger on it. Looking out to the mouth of the cave, he thought he saw something walking in the rain towards them. It was large, whatever it was, with arms drooping down, glowing white eyes and over his left eye looked to be an old claw scars. Jack suddenly realized that it was Tae Roon; In the game he was a level 71 boss monster, but in the real world, there was no telling how tough he would be. The only thing that he could think of was to run for now. Quickly he ran inside the cave and tried to shake Helen awake.

"Helen come on! We gotta go now!" he whispered with a hiss, hoping that keeping his voice down would keep them at an advantage.

"Mmmm… just a bit longer…" she said pulling the jacket closer around herself.

"Helen! We have to go now!" he said pulling her off the ground and was about to run, until a small breeze blew through the cave and a giant shadow stood over him.

"Are you Jack?" he asked with a growl. Helen opened her sleepy eyes which opened wide as she looked up into his face of this giant and then let out a scream. Tae Roon raised his hand high but just missed as Helen teleported the two of them outside the cave and began running.

"You won't get far." He said, disappearing and then flashing before Jack, quickly hitting him with a hard jab and sending him flying. He was about to strike Helen when she teleported to a branch above her only to have Roon's claws tear right through the giant trunk. Helen side flipped off the branch and was about to make a Sacred Arrow, but then realized that her Staff was back at home. She then switched to throwing her hands out making a lightning bolt shoot down from the sky. Roon reached up his bare hands, caught the bolt and thrust it back at her. She quickly swirled her hands around each other creating a shield made of flames to absorb the lightning as Jack came screaming in from where he had been thrown, fists glowing bright red and landed a hard punch right into the gut of Roon sending him skidding back. No sooner had he recovered then Jack began pummeling Roon with punch after thunderous punch. As he launched into his twister punch, Roon stopped him dead and then hit him hard. Jack caught himself as Helen teleported to him, quickly healing his wounds on his hands and then throwing a large wave of ice at Roon, freezing the rain as it went, only to be tossed aside by the back of Roon's hand. Tae Roon was over them in a flash, drawing back his paw for a strike, not leaving enough time to react until something came fluttering in, hitting the wooden guard of Roon's glove and making the hot pink flames wrap around his fist. They all looked up to see Olsen leaping towards them, daggers drawn. When he landed Olsen disappeared, only the occasional puddle being disturbed as he ran. Suddenly he appeared near Roon's head and punched him directly in the face, his fist having something that looked like a pinkish ghost melting into his skin and making Roon's eyes glow green, disappearing again once he had done the deed. Jenny came running to them, helping to pick up Jack whose leg had been broken: Helen would need more time than just a quick touch to heal a wound of that magnitude. As they were moving Jack, Tae Roon caught sight of them and was about to attack them when Olsen appeared once again, quickly slashing at Roon's arms and disappearing again. Jenny and Helen quickly carried Jack away from the fight, but would have to stop as Tae Roon would attack, sometimes coming close to hitting them, but still off his mark. Olsen appeared once more, streaks of pink following him as he moved like a flash of light, jumping high into the air to avoid a whistling sweep of Tae Roon's paw.

"_Come on! I need more! More Power! _I NEED MORE POWER!" Olsen shouted as his hair quickly lost nearly all its blond color, turning a hot pink while his daggers glowed the same hot pink flames. In the air a pink hex appeared above him as he pulled his feet behind him. As if a cannon had fired, Olsen shot down to Tae Roon in a streak of pink light; cuts began appearing on Roon's arms as he tried to guard his face until he was thrown back by a powerful stab to his chest, his arms taking the blow instead. Olsen landed on the ground, his eyes glowing almost red and his body seemed to vibrate with the amount of power flowing through him. The hex appeared again and Olsen shot forward, pummeling Roon with slashes in sets of eight, until the glow suddenly stopped. Taking advantage of the sudden slow drop in speed, Tae Roon swiped him out of the air to the ground, pounding on the ground as balls of flame careened into the spot where Olsen would land. Olsen just managed to right himself and move out of the way of the flames, but the sudden use of the Pink Quartz had made him use all of his mana. For some reason he couldn't get full control over the crystal. His legs felt heavy, and his arms felt stiff, leaving him wide open to the giant paw of Tae Roon as he swung, suddenly standing over him. Just before the strike made contact, something like a dark purple light seemed to envelope Olsen while he disappeared making the ground explode into a dusty cloud, reappearing next to the other three. A man dressed in black with a white and black mask held Olsen in his arm while readying three stars, a black flame edged in purple flaring around them as a violet horned being appeared next to him. Tae Roon caught sight of them and was about to rush them until a large crescent of bright golden light came whistling in from his left, tearing a deep trench into the ground making Tae Roon jump back so as not to be hit. Tae Roon was about to attack again when an arrow made of pure wind landed at his feet, pushing back Roon easily. The man in black disappeared, quickly kicking the feet of Roon out from under him, making him fall on his back. Four Swords of light descended from the sky, pinning Roon to the ground as a ring of fire roared into existence round him. And man dressed in blue came falling from the sky while his fist radiated a lime green, threads of electricity looking to feel all over his body while he shouted at the top of his lungs:

"CRASH HAWK SMASH!" When he hit the ground, it rippled from the force as a green light shone brightly from the center as Tae Roon's voice could be heard above the shaking of the ground, bolts of green lightning striking time and time again. As the dust settled, a tall figure walked from the cloud that floated across the ground while small threads of green electricity felt over his arms and over the ground where his feet touched. The man in the mask suddenly appeared beside him, while a windstorm blew the dust away as a woman in green clothes appeared on his right, slinging her bow over her shoulder. Another young woman dressed in red appeared out of a flare of flames and embers on the man in the mask's left while a knight landed to the right of the archeress. Matthew, Lillianne and Dances came running up to the others as Helen attended to Jack's broken leg and fingers from the punches he had thrown at Tae Roon. 'The Five' just stared in awe at these strong warriors walking up to them, each dressed in a different color seeming to elude power like it was a waterfall.

"Who are you guys?" asked Jenny in a dazed awe.

"They are my Knights, young Guardian Archer." A Female voice replied as a dragon covered in soft feathers landed quietly behind them, and a young woman dismounted. The woman that they saw was dressed in a white and light blue dress with a chaser hanging from her waist decorated in fine colors and designs while a light blue shawl hung from her arms. Her light golden hair fell in clouds to her knees while a gold wire crown adorned her head with a tassel medallion hanging on either side. Around her neck was a dark blue medallion that seemed to shine with an otherworldly light.

"I have wanted to meet you five for some time now. I am the empress of Ossyria, Cygnus. And this is my noble Guardian Dragon, Shinsoo. I humbly welcome you, Guardians of Ossyria." She said as she and her knights knelt to them. Olsen suddenly felt confused, shaking his hands back and forth.

"No no no no… we're not really that powerful yet. We're still just starting out."

"The kind of power that you just displayed Olsen of Dark Lord was far more then he or I, Eckhart, could produce combined and you haven't even fully been trained yet." Olsen was stunned; an elite knight guarding the Empress was complementing _him_!? Eckhart reached up and removed his mask, revealing his young face.

"I could feel all of your power from a long way off, I'm amazed at the potential you all have. Oh this will be so much fun!" the woman in red giggled as she grabbed a hold of Helen's hand and jumped up and down like a little girl.

"Um, yeah I guess. Who are you? And how old are you?" Helen asked, and she tried to process everything.

"Oh me? I'm Oz, and I just turned 21, I'm the youngest of the Knights. The next older is Irena at 23: she the one in green, followed by Hawkeye the handsome devil in blue, 25. The one in black is Eckhart, 29, and Mihile in the knight: he's the oldest of us all, being 34." Jack raised his eyebrows as he stood to his feet, testing out his leg and thanking Helen.

"So, you guys here to inform us on something?" he asked once he was sure that his leg wasn't going to send shooting pain up to his head.

"Actually yes, we came to meet with you to give you what we know on the child Puppeteer." Cygnus answered.

"Apologies for the interruption Empress, but that needs to wait!" Mihile shouted as Tae Roon rose once again, claws drawn back and his eyes glowing red while the Knights turned to face their attacker. Something like a blazing comet hurled at the bear while solid impacts pummeled Roon a hundred times. All at once Roon went flying back through the air, disappearing from sight only a couple seconds later. What stood where Roon had been was a being that looked like it was made of red-orange light as her hair stood above her head and she floated off the ground sllighltly.

"There, that deals with him." Kyrin's voice said, thick with power until the light dispersed dropping her to the ground.

"Kyrin; if I didn't know any better I would say that you were coming to settle the fact that I still have more wins than you do." Hawkeye said, resting his hand on Irena's shoulder and then leaning on her.

"Well I can't let you have all the fun." Kyrin replied clicking her tongue and winking.

"Come on, let's get you guys back to the village, your parents are waiting." Dances said, escorting them all towards the village.

* * *

Agitated whispers emanated in a hollow hiss from the image of the Mage standing before Francis

"Orders? What orders? I don't remember any orders." The boy answered arrogantly, shrugging as the hazy image of the Black Mage hovered before Francis. He had seen what happened to Tae Roon, and quickly reached out his hand, grabbing Francis by the collar holding him above ground, more hissing whispers surrounding the boy before he shoved him back and held up his hand and though readying to strike his face.

"Why so I have to be your message boy? And what's the matter with killing five kids? It's not like anyone is gonna miss 'em or anything." Francis found himself thrown back against the tree, making the trunk crack from the impact. The Mage narrowed his eyes to him, holding up his free hand as black power gathered in his palm, slamming it into the tree beside his head and burning away the bark. Francis chuckled at his display of power, taking a deep breath when The Mage finally let go of his throat.

"You won't take my life already: you still need me don't you?" The Mage could be heard taking an ethereal breath, turning away from the boy before holding up his hand where a large ball of black energy swirled into existence, showing a woman in the center of it being held up by chains in a dark place. Francis eyes went wide when he recognized the woman in the picture, feeling as if the blood from his face had drained away while the Mage turned to him, his eyes having what appeared to be a devious smile within them.

"You leave her alone!" Francis demanded. The Mage turned his body completely around, holding his other had above the ball and slowly clenching his fingers, making the woman in the view hole scream out in clear pain, while a golden blue glow surrounded her in a upward draft.

"Stop! I'll do whatever you say, just please, don't hurt her." The Mage narrowed his eyes, a questioning murmur echoing around them as he closed his hand slightly, the woman's pain intensifying.

"YES! I PROMICE JUST PLEASE STOP HURTING HER!" Francis cried, falling to his knees and folding his hands together as he begged. Seconds dragged on for hours as The Mage held his hand in the same position for a while longer almost seeming to revel in this boy's pathetic pleading, until he dropped his hand and the woman's pain stopped. With tense whispers surrounding Francis, the image of The Mage disappeared, leaving him alone with a few of his tears.

"Mother, I swear; I'll get you back." he vowed, wiping his tears he holding up his hands again, pulling on the strings tied to his puppet, walking in the direction he felt their tug towards Nihal.

"Tae Roon; you will be of service to me once again. Come and get me where we will descend into the Tombs of the Ants. I will need your protection." Near the border of Mu Lung and the Nihal desert, Tae Roon pulled his body from the drift of sand and began walking to Francis where the two of them met and disappeared to his Fortress of Dolls that was deep within the nesting grounds of the Yellow One Eyes.

* * *

The Black Mage walked to his prisoner's room where a figure hung, chained to the wall while he held onto the monocle which the figure had worn for so long.

"Master, my Wyverns have found one of them." Eleanor eloquently purred, suggestively crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one leg as she stood behind him. The Mage looked over his sholder with blank eyes, nodding his approval while a commanding whisper echoed in the stone room while Eleanor bowed her head and walked away. For a few moments, he stayed and watched the woman before appearing in a room surrounded by machinery. A Black Wyvern brought the clear container-like crystal in its jaws to The Mage and held it up to the light. He turned it one way, and then another until a faint light shone through the walls of the crystal making the Mage narrow his eyes as whispers arose around him. he then placed the crystal into a well made mold that glowed a slight red color, then mounting the Dark Crystal at the top which pulsed as he set it in place, making a channel drain down into the center of the large crest where an empty pit sat.

"I should get going. I wouldn't want to raise any suspicion, at least not yet." Eleanor said silkily as she drank a potion down and uttered a spell, a cloud wrapping around her. Before she left, The Mage looked her in the eyes, making her nod in return.

"I will do my best since we still need the boy. My only concern is the feather Dragon since his senses are the sharpest of any I have ever known."

* * *

"As you all have guessed, I and my knights have come to give you some information on the Child Puppeteer. According to what we've been able to gather on him, he was strongly persuaded into the service of the Black Mage by Eleanor before his release. Not much is known about what it was that was used as leverage against him, but it was his talents of controlling things like puppets with mana to be used as a weapon is what they were after." Cygnus stated, turning to Oz for more information.

"Our tactician, Neinheart helped us keep track of the Puppeteer's movements until we finally tracked him down to his hide out deep within the Tombs of the Ants, the Fortress of Dolls. Unfortunately there was no turning him back from his ways and his life was lost." As she spoke, she absently manipulated the flames within the campfire they sat around.

"So why is he back?" asked Jenny. Oz shook her head and shrugged slightly.

"No one is sure. The only explanation that makes any sense is that fact that the Black Mage has some purpose in store for him, or that he never truly was killed." Irena replied. Jenny nodded as she thought about the situation before them which would be the first real test of their resolve: to try and persuade a boy to turn away from his ways, or to end his life. It all seemed just like an endless cycle of things that they would encounter. Something evil came back and they would just have to kill it once more, some of these beings with actual potential for good within them.

"It will be a couple days before we have any new leads on where the Puppeteer has gone or what his goals are. For now, I will leave you my knights so that you may train under them in addition to your Parents, the Masters. I shall be returning to Mu Lung and the counsel where I will see if Neinheart has any new information for me from our Shadows." Cygnus yawned as she got up to climb onto Shinsoo's shoulders.

"Shadows? What are those?" asked Olsen, interested in hearing about something that he never heard of in his time of playing the game.

"They are expert trackers who report to Neinheart and to me on occasion." Cygnus replied sleepily, situating herself as Shinsoo raised his head and looked to her for a moment.

"You Guardians are the last hope for Ossyria. I trust that you will follow the best path." Shinsoo said in a soothing voice as he turned back to them before raising his wings, lifting into the air majestically and leaving the knights.

"_Are you sure that having The Five be the ones to kill Francis once more is the best course of action Master? They are still children after all."_ Shinsoo asked Cygnus telepathically as he flew, an ability that he and the empress shared with each other.

"_No Shinsoo, I'm not sure. But if we shield them now, then all we will be doing is veiling their eyes to the terrible truth that is the Black Mage. Everything that man touches becomes evil to the core."_ It didn't seem like long before Shinsoo landed next to the Palace where Cygnus was surprised to see Neinheart waiting for her outside the council chamber, part of the temporary palace set up in Mu Lung.

"Neinheart! What are you doing here? I thought you had gone to wait for one of your Shadows?" Nienheart raised her head in response to Cygnus' call and raised her eyebrows before taking a small bow.

"I did your majesty. One of them said he had overheard Francis he would be returning to his Fortress of Dolls with Tae Roon. Not only that, but he also heard something about a message needing to be delivered." Cygnus nodded her thanks as she was beckoned into the counsel chamber, where the council meeting with the Elders and generals decided what they should do about the Puppeteer, and with the new information they had gathered. Meanwhile Shinsoo felt something strange emanating from Neinheart as they waited outside; he couldn't decipher what it was that he was feeling but whatever it was, it was making him feel uncomfortable. Once the meeting was adjourned, night fall had already come to them. Cygnus began feeling the day more severely as she returned to her sleeping chambers with Neinheart walking with her while Shinsoo rested outside the room just below her window.

"How did your meeting go Empress?" she asked as she poured a cup of Cygnus's favorite Peach tea.

"Oh, those men are impossible. They just want to lead an all out attack against the Mage, but nothing of that sort will ever work. They would be killed before they got close. Not to mention that the creatures haunting the Black Mage's castle are far more than just normal soldiers could defeat."

"That is a very good point." Neinheart answered, smiling a bit as a small drop of black liquid fell into Cygnus's tea from under her sleeve. Shinsoo suddenly felt a prick of dark power: his eyes went wide while his pupils narrowed and his fangs dropped down out of his gums. The Feathers on his neck hardened until they were like armor and his claws extended out as he searched for the center of that dark power. Where? Where was it coming from?

"You must be tired Empress. I can see it in your eyes." Nienheart smiled warmly.

"You have no idea Neinheart." Cygnus smiled in return as she was handed her tea. Shinsoo still searched for the origin of that power unable to locate it quickly because of its small size. However just as soon as it had come, it left, allowing him to return to his normal form but left his senses sharper than ever. There was dark power at work here, and it was close to the Empress, too close.

"Oh that was delicious Neinheart. Well, I shall see you in the morning. Hopefully I'll be able to convince those stubborn old men into a solution."

"We shall see." Neinheart smiled as she picked up the tray and blew out the candle in her room. Shinsoo soon raised his head into her room, resting his large head on the floor which allowed Cygnus to climb onto it and bring her down to rest under his wing.

"Shinsoo, could you please tell the tale of the Nine Spirits Dragon to me." Shinsoo smiled. He had been her guardian since she was twelve when she was made Empress, and her father's guardian long before that. Even though it had been 18 years since that day, she still loved to hear the tale of the Nine Spirits dragon and how she had defeated terrible six headed hydra, Zakuhm, making him into the guardian of Minerva's treasures.

Once the next day dawned, Cygnus was quickly dressed and readied to try and convince the council in letting The Five be the ones to defeat the Mage even though that it would still be some time before they would be ready to face him. Durning that time, Shinsoo would see Neinheart come to the door of the chambers, and every time he felt uneasy with her around. Something about her was off: he never used to feel uneasy around Neinheart. When the council broke for the noon meal, Shinsoo made sure to stay close to them and watch Neinheart with every sense his power afforded him. When they stopped for some iced tea before returning to the council, Shinsoo again felt the quick prick of dark power which just as quickly disappeared. This time however it felt like it was centered closer to his Master Cygnus. Then once Cygnus had returned to the council, Neinheart still made him feel uneasy. But once Cygnus returned to her chambers that night, the uneasy feelings began to die down allowing him to rest slightly under Cygnus's window as the sun set.

"I trust that the council has reached a decision?" Neinheart asked as she poured a cup of tea while a small drop of a black potion dropped into the cup from under her sleeve, melting into the tea as though it were sugar. Shinsoo suddenly felt that prick of dark power once again, the same as the first time: his eyes went wide while his pupils narrowed and his fangs dropped down out of his gums. The Feathers on his neck hardened until they were like armor and his claws extended out as he searched for the center of that dark power. Where? Where was it coming from that he would feel it thrice in two days?

"Yes. They've finally agreed only to help when 'The Five' are ready, although it was quite a task to get them to do so with such a splitting headache." Shinsoo then turned his sight to the room to see his master's cup swirling with dark energy and not only that, but Neinheart for a moment wasn't the kind hearted woman he had come to know. What was the matter? Didn't Master Cygnus feel the burning darkness swirling around her very cup of tea? He watched in horror as she slowly raised her cup to whoever that woman was.

"The tea should help; I put a little medicine in it for your head. May you have a sweet sleep." The woman said as Cygnus raised the cup to her lips.

"MASTER NO!" but by the time Shinsoo was able to react, Cygnus had swallowed and the potion dropped into her tea which took effect, making her drowsy and unable to stay awake.

"Sleep sweet empress, sleep and never wake." The spell hidden inside the potion began weaving its dark fingers into the empress while Shinsoo tore at the wall, trying to get at his master, but the woman revealed her true form for only a moment to hit Shinsoo with an attack spell sending feathers all over the place. Shinsoo recovered and flew at the house again, only to be hit with another powerful spell and knocked to the ground. Before he could get up again, the woman went into hiding and lay on the floor in a position as if she had been attacked just before the guards of the castle came bursting through the door. Shinsoo suddenly no longer felt the dark power hanging in the air, making him return to his normal form of a feathered dragon. But he knew the truth; he now knew that Neinheart wasn't really her. Before he could speak the imposter was already telling the guards that Shinsoo had suddenly attacked them both without provocation. The guards and the Imposter tried to wake the Empress but with no response from the young empress. Shinsoo was then attacked himself as he tried to convince the guards that he wasn't the attacker. However he soon noticed that his speech was no longer coming as easily as it used to; parts of his sentences sounded like chirps or growls while what broken bits came out was in senseless sentences. Now that his Master was under some sort of spell, he was quickly losing his ability to communicate with the humans, which also meant that soon he would be nothing more than a Feather Dragon if Cygnus couldn't be restored.

"_I must go and return with help… If I wait too much longer I won't be able to tell the others what's wrong._" Sadly he left the building where his master slept with the imposter at her side.

"_Just hang in there… brrreep… I'll get you back."_

* * *

The Five trained hard over the preceding days, quickly able to control one of most powerful attacks of the Knights themselves without having to make a pact with a fairy from the outer world, allowing them to make the Knight's abilities far more powerful. Jack screamed loud as he punched through a tree as though it were mere paper while green threads of lightning snapped over his fist.

"My my, Jack. I'll be sure to stay in you good side from now on." Hawkeye said laughingly while he slapped Jack on the back.

"He's not the only one Hawkeye. All of the Five are becoming fine warriors. Matthew has even been able to make my Solar Scythe look like a paper plate compared to his." Mihile laughed as the others came back from their training. Lillanne set the end of her weapon on the ground and stood next to Matthew, catching her breath from a sparring session she had just finished.

"Hey, isn't that Shinsoo?" asked Helen, pointing to a white spot in the clouds. Oz looked up, shielding her eyes from the bright glare of the sun to see that it was indeed Shinsoo. Her face brightened, but soon fell as she didn't see Empress Cygnus sitting atop her guardian dragon.

"Irena, can you see if Cygnus is with him?" Jenny and Irena both looked into the sky at where Shinsoo was, neither of them seeing the golden haired Empress atop him.

"No, she isn't. Something's wrong." Irena said: Shinsoo's flying was awkward and labored, making him drop several times until he crashed into the ground making piles of earth build as he slid to a stop. Eckhart was the first to his side resting a hand on his head.

"Shinsoo, what's the matter?" Shinsoo sounded as if he were trying to respond, but all that came out were growls and squeaks.

"What's the matter? Just a day ago he was talking, so why is he just making weird noises?" Helen asked as she and the others came up.

"The lives of both Shinsoo and the Empress are connected through a strong spell that can only be released by the one who placed it. From what I've come to understand of this spell, it binds their life forces together so whatever affects the Empress will affect Shinsoo and vise versa; something must have happened to the Empress." Shinsoo raised his head weakly, his eyes looking tired and nearly dead as he looked to Helen, trying to pull himself to her. Something inside her seemed to click as she reached out her hand and placed it on Shinsoo's muzzle, pulling her into some sort of vision of what he had seen.

"_My Master is… grave danger. You stop one… ing… grrrr… to be… chirp brrp… she is… spell. Life… fading…" _then all went dark as Helen was thrown back into her own mind, Jack catching her as she fell back.

"Helen what happened? Your hair and eyes were glowing in this weird purple color." He asked as he set her upright.

"The Empress is in danger. Someone is trying to end her life by using a spell. Shinsoo showed me everything: whoever it is, she's hiding as Neinheart."

"Then I will take us there." Oz firmly announced, stabbing her staff into the ground and pulled a small book from her cloak, turning to a page in the middle.

"Everyone, gather close to me." She said as she began reading some sort of old spell. A cloud of flames enveloped the lot of them for a moment and then died down revealing that they were just outside of the council chamber in Mu Lung.

"You're going to have to teach me that one Oz." Helen whispered as they all readied for any attack.

"Quickly, this way." Eckhart called quietly as he led them through the dark to a back door of the sleeping chambers. If the person hiding was smart, then she would have already setup some sort of failsafe to avoid people interfering with her mission. Just as they entered the hallway where Cygnus's room was, Mihile stopped them and tossed a small splinter forwards which bounced off a barrier standing before them. He began talking with his hands to the other knights when Jack suddenly stood and charged directly at the barrier, only to bounce off. For a moment the air waivered and then split slightly as the head of a large creature made of nothing but bones faced him, clenching its teeth and staring him down with its red eyes. Jack quickly ran back and hid where he had before, breathing heavy and shallow.

"What was it Jack?" Irena asked.

"I don't know. They were like twice, no, three times my height and made of nothing but bones with glowing red eyes." Jack spat making Hawkeye drop his shoulders shoulders.

"Grand Skelegons: They're the personal favorite of the Black Mage." The barrier waivered as one of the huge beasts came walking through, growling and clicking its bones together as though it were its tongue.

"Helen, can you disassemble that barrier? We'll keep those overgrown bone statues busy while you do." Oz asked.

"I don't know, you haven't been taught to dispel yet." Oz nodded, and decided to give her the quick version that would at least work on this barrier.

"Just find the anchoring points of the barrier and the others should be able to destroy them. But you must hit them all at the same time; otherwise there could be dire results." The knights charged from their hiding spot while the other six waited for the Skelegons to pass, chasing after the others. Helen stepped forwards and bowed her head to concentrate, able to feel the barrier as though it were her skin, searching for the points that anchored it down, unaware of the large creature sneaking up behind them. Jack and Matthew happened to hear something like armor clinking and turned around to see something like a green colored lizard raising its daggers, swinging them down at Helen. Jack was ready to try and catch the edge of the daggers in his hands but was moved out of the way as Matthew pushed him away and pulled his cloak around himself making the daggers spark off allowing Jack to strike the creature across the face and temporarily disorient it.

"What are you doing?! I could've caught those!"

"Perhaps you didn't notice, but this is a level 136 monster in the game, a Green Cornian to be exact. We're just passed level 30 so to speak, so how do you think we would fair?" Matthew pulled up his cloak again, sliding back slightly with the force of impact.

"_We have to protect Helen until she can find those anchoring points; I'm not sure we can beat this thing, but it's all we got_: Jenny! Push him back with what you can. Olsen, give us some speed, we're gonna need it." Jenny grabbed a hold of one end of her bow and swung it hard at the Cornian; something sparked out of the air which then surrounded the bow and left it in a whirlwind tearing through the hallway. The Cornian crossed his daggers, blocking the wind but sliding a bit. Jenny spun around and drew her bow as the Spine Arrow began appearing, then suddenly flared into a tribal looking bow emanating in a green light as a wind swirled around her arrow. When she released it, a hurricane force wind hit the Cornian and sent him sliding back through the hallway even further. A blueish pink symbol appeared above them all as Olsen began his assault with Jack and Matthew close behind. He threw a double set of shuriken at the Cornian to distract it as he appeared on its neck, delivering a hard punch to its face while a green ghost sank into its face, making the Cornian stumble unable to keep its balance. Jack drew his gun, firing round after round to keep it off balance as he charged forwards. Matthew drew the Black Scimitar in his right and the Silver Gladius in his left, and began to swing time and time again but the scimitar was heavy and very hard to handle with just one hand. Throwing the Gladius to the side he then attacked with just the one sword, striking powerfully each time with sparks flying from the edge each time the two of them met blades. As Matthew finished a particularly hard swing, Jack careened in from behind delivering a punch that glowed with red and green lightning, making a thunderous roar as it made contact and hurled the lizard through the wall. For a moment that three of them looked at each other with questioning expressions: yes they may have thrown the Cornian back, but did they hit it hard enough to keep it from coming back?

"Guys! I got it!" Helen said as she walked over to the walls and placed a small mark next to each point with a small dab of poison.

"ok… Jenny, you take the top one. Olsen, Jack, you take the ones on the sides. Matt, you get the one on the floor. On my mark I want you to hit them with all you got." Each of them got into position, Mana flowing over this weapon as a flame. While Jenny drew her bow back, her bow and hand glowed with a bright green light as her hair became slightly greener while she gathered her mana and crystal power near the end of the arrow. Olsen drew his daggeri holding it high above his head while hot pink flames began to smolder into existence around his fists and along the blade of the dagger. Jack pulled his fist back as far as he could while a red light gathered around it, saturating his Knucklers with a blood red light. Matthew held his sword to the sky as red light gathered at the hilt, something like golden sunlight being attracted to the blade as it became a giant sword made of light.

"NOW!" the simultaneous hits of everyone's attacks was so great that the building itself shook and wobbled on its foundations,breaking the barrier like glass. Even as the barrier was still falling, they rushed to the room just as Neinheart appeared to be standing above Cygnus with a dagger in hand raised above her head. Lillianne launched her pole arm as though it were a spear, pinning the woman's sleeve to the wall with the dagger in hand. As the momentum from the halberd turned the woman around, she revealed herself to her true form: her light blue hair melted away into snow white, and her clothes burned away to expose the revealing purple clothes of Eleanor.

"So it _was_ you!" Lillianne shouted as she charged forwards while Eleanor turned to vapors and appeared across the room.

"Yes. It _is_ me. Do you really think that I would kill the Empress of Ossyria just yet?" she said smoothly.

"I don't know, would you?" Eleanor smiled and launched an attack spell at her only to have it deflected as Helen stood between them pulling her Ebony Gaia up, absorbed the energy and dispelling it.

"Lillianne, Isn't this woman Eleanor the Black Witch?" she asked, holding her cloak at the ready when Mihile stopped at the door and answered.

"Yes, and currently the highest ranking officer of The Black Wings. Out with it Eleanor! Where is Neinheart?" Mihile he demanded, reaching for his sword. Oz quietly snuck to the empress, holding her hand over her to assess the situation, and began dispelling the powerful magic within her body.

"Now now Knight of Dawn, you needn't be so uncivilized. However, you Chief Knights were so naive that you didn't even see or feel the Black Soldiers come and take her away. I'm sure you'd be able to figure it out soon enough. Time is running short for her though, so I would hurry if I were you." Oz worked as fast as she could, finally breaking it, but leaving the Empress too weak to move, even when she tried.

"Don't move your highness, help is on the way." She whispered when Eleanor's overconfident voice caught her unawares.

"Oz, Knightess of Flames, I'm surprised that you even tried to dispel that Method. Without your purpose, why would you seek revenge on me? I'm the only other one who knows how to release that method." Oz began walking strangely, almost seeming to push the others out of the room.

"She's right, attacking her would accomplish nothing. But then again, I didn't say that we would be the ones to attack you." Eleanor was puzzled; the only other creature or person that had enough power to overpower her was…

"You didn't." she suddenly said as she realized that Oz had actually succeeded.

"I did." Something sounding like a jet flying over head crashed through the walls and tackled Eleanor as he crashed through the next wall, disappearing into a cloud of dust. Above the cloud could be seen the joints of Shinsoo's wings, or flashes of dark light within the cloud as the two of them fought. It didn't seem like long, but the fighting stopped and the dust cleared, revealing Shinsoo in his protection state: His claws were extended from his hands and feet while his fangs and teeth had grown to a fearsome length and sharpness while Eleanor's cloak hung from his fangs but even with his now hyper heightened senses, Eleanor was nowhere to be seen allowing Shinsoo to return to his calm demeanor. With help from Mihile, Cygnus sat up and walked over to the edge of the building at which Shinsoo came back, allowing her to hug his muzzle for support.

"So that confirms it. Francis is alive and Neinheart is missing with nothing to give us any leads." Jack huffed.

"Not necessarily. The last place that any of us had seen him was in his Fortress of Dolls deep within the nest of the Yellow One Eye. He could have gone back there." Irena said as she clipped her bow to her back.

"I don't know whether or not the information was right, but Eleanor had told me while she was playing Neinheart that the Shadows had seen Francis heading back to his Fortress with Tae Roon once again. He could be planning something big for us, so I would suggest that we go to him before he can make his move."

"That's true, we shall leave at once." Eckhart urged as he turned to leave.

"Wait; Young Guardians, I don't want to put this on you if you are not ready. What I am asking you to do is to stop a young man that has not even reached his teens by any and all means, very possibly having to end this young man's life. Can you handle that?" once the fact was brought to their attention, they all stood in silence.

"We don't all have to go. Helen, you stay here with Oz to train on wounds of soldiers. Olsen, I want you to stay here as well and set up a patrol around the castle to prevent any further attacks. Jack, Lillianne, Jenny and I will go to the Fortress." Matthew sternly ordered as the other two went about their duties. Eckhart and Irena could only pass a glance between each other as they watched the three of them leave the room, with Matthew stopping just before he left the door.

"Mihile, you tend to the Empress while the rest of you go back to Herb town and make sure that nothing gets past you." When he looked back at his Mihile, there was a sad but angry light seeming to glow deep within them.

"We'll be back before sunset if all goes well." He said, and left with the others.

"Matt, do you even know where you're going?" Lillianne asked as they walked.

"We're going to talk to the Crane. He and his buddies can get us to Orbis where I had seen an old Ludi ship sitting in the docks. We can use that to get us to Victoria."

* * *

Eleanor appeared in the castle, shivering in adrenalin fueled fear as she tried to hold up the last bits of fabric over her ample chest while she tried to repair the damage done to her skirt.

"_Shinsoo is defiantly something that I can't handle alone. Any longer and I would had been torn to shreds." _She thought as she suddenly stood when she saw the Mage walking through the halls. Suddenly embarrassed at her failure, she turned her head and tried as best as she could to keep her chest covered with her arms when the last bits fabric fell away, the last thread breaking as her skirt tore slightly where she stood, sliding down her hips until it was stopped from falling off by her leaning against the wall.

"Master, I'm sorry. I have failed y…" she was suddenly stopped mid sentence when the Mage put his arm around her back and pressed the side of her head to his chest. He said nothing for a long while, releasing his hold and pulling from his sleeve a new cloak, putting it over her shoulders to cover her body since the skirt had fallen to the ground once he had embraced her. Whispers hung in the air for a moment as he left, disappearing in a cloud of black mana. Eleanor was stunned; she had never expected the Black Mage of all people to show her mercy for failing such a task. Still, she was suddenly overcome and fell to her knees as tears fell to the ground from a memory of her past came rushing to her. Her father had done the same thing when she had fallen into a bramble wearing her best clothes as a young girl before they had died.

* * *

Francis worked furiously on his new doll while the Black Mage's image appeared, hissing whispers of intrigue.

"Are you kidding? I'm like a kid in a candy store now that I'm back with my precious dolls; of course I'm going to cause a stir." He answered as the mage neared him, leaning down to his ear where his whispers became hostile before fizzing out of existence. Francis stopped for a moment, looking over to where Tae Roon stood guard and grit his teeth, turning back to his work, pulling out a new doll he had hidden in his desk and quickly undid the shrinking spell. Made of cornhusks, it was equipped with hammers and swords standing a good 6 feet above Tae Roon.

"I am not some little kid you can push around to deliver some message. Don't worry mother, I'm coming for you." He mumbled, fine tuning an arm on the doll one more time.

* * *

It took some time, but the four of them slowly made their way down the cave ways, cutting down the One Eyed lizards that attacked them, finally reaching the Fortress. Taking cover just above the entrance, they could see Tae Roon standing guard at the door, as still as a stone.

"So now what Matthew?" Jack asked, grabbing for his arm which began to feel a bit sore.

"Lillianne, can you keep that over grown bear busy while the rest of us get inside?" Lillianne smiled darkly as a few tribal seals appeared above her and on her halberd.

"I could take him on with one hand and foot tied behind my back, blindfolded." She smiled, jumping down and quickly getting the attention of Roon then leaping further away as their battle began, making rocks and dust fly from place to place as if they were toys. Using the distraction, the others climbed down to the fortress slowly, entering and hiding among the many piles of materials until they came to a room lit by a few candles, but it was empty. As they searched, something came sneaking up behind Jenny, raising one of its deadly hammer weapons. Jack heard the crinkle of dry leaves in time to flash behind Jenny and catch the giant hammer before it hit; Matthew drew his Gladius, shaking his head since the small space they were in restricted his ability to use the Scimitar. Jenny turned around and drew an arrow in her bow, releasing the powerful blow knocking back the giant doll a bit, allowing Matthew to run in and chop off the arm of the doll Jack held who pulled to pull back his fist, smashing the body of the doll so that it was barely stable.

"You fools! This isn't something that you can just kill and be over with it. It's a doll! Dolls were never alive to begin with so the only way to stop it is to destroy it, or kill the Puppeteer." A voice said in the dark as the doll raised one of the swords and swung hard at Matthew who countered the swing, and then swung in return, aiming for the arm but missing as the doll pulled back and then hit Matthew with one of the hammers into the wall. Jenny drew her bow time and time again, being sure to stay on the move so she wouldn't be hit, pummeling the doll with her double strike while Jack drew its attention by unleashing attacks of his own. Matthew shook the stars from his vision, charging in furiously cutting one of the arms clean off before one of the swords tried to hit him.

"Stop! You're breaking it!" the young voice said as the doll swung the second hammer at Matthew only to have it blocked then blown apart and set ablaze from Jenny releasing her bomb arrow. The doll turned its head back to her as she glided through the air for another shot, beginning to swing its second sword hand at her but missing as Jack hit the doll's torso, breaking the trunk of the doll even more when it hit a wall. The little voice somewhere in the dark growled as he pulled on his strings making the doll stand once more, however before it could get up all three of them attacked together reducing the Doll to ashes and chunks of corn husk. Jenny looked closer and could see faint stings which lead back to a dark corner of the room.

"You broke it! You idiots!" the boy yelled, coming out from the dark shadows and kneeling next to the doll he had worked so hard on. Matthew walked up to him and picked him up by the collar, holding the tip of his sword up ready to plunge it into the heart of the boy. But something about the look in the boy's eyes made him stop, there was something there that he was hiding which made him put the boy down, but kept his sword at the ready.

"You're all the same; you can't kill me because I'm just a kid. You're all so predictable, so unmovable, so… stubborn. The day is coming that will all be wiped away and everything will start anew. And if you keep going the way you have, then everything will turn out the same as it did so long ago only it will be you who will be sealed and destroyed, not the Black Mage!" Matthew gritted his teeth and raised his sword above his head.

"You are in no position to be telling me that all will be wiped away. You will be stopped!" Jenny was stunned that Matthew could be so cold hearted which made her turn and look at Francis: she thought she saw tears rolling down his cheeks and his mouth move, saying something indecipherable.

"Matthew Stop!" she called, making Matthew bring his sword to a halt just above the boy's head.

"What!?" Jenny got up and then knelt before him, tuning his face up to hers and taking the hood off his head, revealing his light blue hair and dark blue eyes which were so full of sadness that it made Jenny's heart break.

"What was it that you said? Are you Francis?" she asked as she hugged the boy to her. Francis latched onto her and held on as tight as he could while his tears flowed freely while Matthew took a less aggressive stance.

" Yes I am. It's my mom; The Black mage has her. He said that… if I don't so what he wants… he's gonna hurt her." Jenny felt sorry for the boy; she could only imagine what she would do if her own mother were being used against her like this.

"I'm sure your mom's safe." She said trying to reassure him.

"No you don't get it. The Mage has her in his dungeon and If I don't do what he wants he's gonna hurt her."

"Well you can begin by telling us how you got mixed up with such a creep in the first place." Jack said, adjusting his Knucklers, then popping his knuckles one by one. Jenny looked back at Jack hard for a moment before drying his tears as he began.

"It was a while ago, but ever since I can remember, I could control anything as though it were a puppet or Marinette by using strings of mana. I was out playing with some new dolls I had made when Eleanor came up to me saying that the Black Mage could use someone with my abilities. When I refused she then said that they would hurt my mother. So I joined them to keep her safe; I did so many horrible things and never saw my mother again. The only way that I was stopped was by the Cygnus Knights which I'm sure as you know lead to my death. But now that I'm alive again, the Mage has taken it a step further in capturing my mother in order to keep me under tighter wraps." Francis got quiet for a moment, then quickly got up and kicked Matthew back as he got behind Jenny and attached his Mana strings to her taking control of her body.

"But now that I have you guys, one of you can be my doll and I can get my mother out of his clutches."

"Jack, Help me." Jenny pleaded as she was made to walk against her will backwards towards the door drawing her bow. Matthew and Jack readied to rush the little kid, but Francis snapped the stings, making Jenny draw her Spine Arrow which was radiating and buzzing with the combination of the Emerald Crystal and mana.

"Stay back!" I've waited long enough to free my mother from that man's claws, and now I have the means. Nothing will…" his victorious speech was cut short as the handle of Lillianne's halberd hit him in the side of the head, knocking him out and cutting the strings that controlled Jenny. Jenny turned around questioning Lillianne on what happened to Tae Roon.

"I beat him to a pulp and knocked him out. It'll be a while before he wakes up." She answered with a sly smile. When Francis awoke, he was surrounded by the knights, masters, Tae Roon, and The Five deep inside Tae Sang's peach farm.

"So, the little puppeteer is finally awake. You didn't have to hit him so hard you know Lilli." Aran smiled as Lillianne gritted her teeth against being called that. Francis was about to throw his hands out and take control of another person but found that his hands had been tied behind his back. He struggled to free them for a minute or two, but to no avail, hanging his head as tears began streaming down his face.

"Francis, I was told about your mother. And I am sorry, but what you have done in the past still haunts all of us. Many of our comrades lost their lives because of your following this mad man, do you understand what I am saying?" Aran asked. Slowly Francis nodded, unsuccessfully wiping the tears from his eyes with his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for what I have done, I truly am. But if you had someone that you cared about threatened because you wouldn't serve them, wouldn't you do anything to keep them from getting harmed?!" asked Francis in a tear thick yell. Olsen swallowed hard as his mind was torn about what to do: part of him wanted to complete the mission that was given to him, but another part told him that this kid deserved a second chance. In the odd silence Matthew drew his scimitar and stood over Francis, the cutting edge of the sword reflecting the light into Francis eyes. With an angered growl, Matthew swung the sword down hard at Francis: Aran tried to stop him as he swung as did Helen, teleporting to his side. Francis closed his eyes and flinched to the side when the sword clanged against the ground making it shake slightly. Francis opened his eyes and looked all over his body: the sword didn't hit him? He brought his hands up to feel his body to make sure that he hadn't been hit, instead watching the ropes that held his hands drop to the ground. Matthew then turned his cold and angry eyes to Francis and shoved the tip of the scimitar into his face.

"We'll help you get your mother, but if you slip up just once or give me one reason to doubt that you are getting your mother out I swear I will kill you on the spot. Am I clear?" the broadside of the sword rang as the sunlight quickly ran down the side while a blue light gathered at the guard, humming with a cold resonance. Francis fearfully nodded as Matthew quickly sheathed the scimitar once more while Helen and Cygnus came and knelt next to him.

"How do we find your mother?" Helen asked gently.

"To the west of here just before the Mine of the Dead, there is a magically hidden path which leads to a castle of the Black Mage."

"_A _castle? You mean there's more than one?" asked Jenny.

"In a sense: I have never been to his Main castle nor has anyone ever seen it for that matter, other than Eleanor that is. His other castles that he makes are castles of illusion; they are only built until their initial purpose is not longer needed via his use of Black Magic. If we can get passed the barrier, then I can lead you to the dungeon where they would be holding her." Kyrin returned to the group having Cherry, Erin and Joel following her.

"Here they are. The only ones who might do what you need." Kyrin said while Joel clapped his hands and rubbed then together.

"So! What is it you youngin's need done? Mah sisters and ah are said to be the roughest, toughest ship drivers out thar." Joel asked in a heavy southern accent.

"We need you to take us to the Forest of the Dead." Joel pulled his leg up and smacked his knee, while Cherry took her hat off and swung it around.

"Woowee! That right thar is what we Tickets live fer. We'll get you thar and be back before supper." Erin shouted with the same southern accent. Hooting and hollering, the three of them ran back to their ship to get it ready, leaving the rest of the group in a bit of an odd silence. Within thirty minutes, The Five, Cygnus and Eckhart were on their way to the forest, passing over the cold El Nath Mountains at their highest point, making all of them shiver, even while they stayed in the warmer hold of the flying corvette. Cherry came down from the helm and began passing out old looking cloaks to each of them.

"These here cloaks were made by Alcaster, best mage in the north for anyone that ever came to El Nath. They may not seem like much, but believe me; they sure keep you warmer than a biscuit in the stove." Each of them were thankful for the leather cloaks, the cold melting away and their fingers burning as feeling came back into them. Francis still kept a close eye on Matthew, being careful not to destroy the delicate trust he had established; he may have given him room to move, but he also had a strong feeling that Matt would follow through with his threat if he messed up. When they arrived, Matthew told the Tickets to circle around and wait for anything strange that would allow them to access the castle, leaving them in the icy snow in the Forest of the Dead while an ominous cold wind blew all around them.

"So where is this barrier?" Helen asked, looking around as though trying to find some inconsistency with the horizon that would give away the presence of a barrier.

"You won't be able to see it, at least at your current level of power. The Barriers erected by the Black Mage are usually hard to see, even for me. The beginning of the barrier is literally right in front of us and I only know because I was there when the Black Mage put it up." Walking over to a tree, he looked up and down, all over the tree and then knocked on it while putting his ear to it.

"Right here… this tree is out ticket through the barrier. Except that I don't…" before he could finish, Jenny drew an arrow and launched a bomb arrow at it, blowing a walk through hole in the middle of the trunk.

"Is that enough?" she asked, lowering her bow and then clipping it to her back. Once they were through, all of them stared in awe as what stood before them was a monstrous black castle, the center spire standing taller than any of them could see. Clouds hung around the tops of the spires; Skeleton soldiers patrolled the top of the walls while more patrolled the grounds outside with Skeledogs at their side. Francis quickly lead them through the twisted dead trees around the castle to keep out of sight, leading them to a secret entrance at the back of the castle. But even though they had gained entrance to the castle, they still had to be weary of the soldiers and the one or two generals ridding horse back inside the castle. When they reached the entrance to the dungeon, Olsen and Eckhart quickly and quietly took out the two guards who were standing there allowing them to enter. Quietly they searched every cell, with little or no success or finding others that had died while in the dark depths. When they came to the very last cell, Francis was the first to run up to the door and peer in to see a figure being hung on the wall with chains wrapped around her body and neck, keeping her in a suspended animation.

"Mother? Mother?!" Francis called, but could only hear a small whisper from within:

"Elde…" once Francis had heard the small whisper, he began pulling on the door franticly making the lock and doors rattle loudly, echoing through the halls.

"Francis, be quiet. The guards will hear." Matthew said placing a hand on his shoulder.

"But my…" Matthew put a finger to his lips and pointed to a talisman hanging above the door.

"That talisman is connected to the door. If the door is opened without it being removed the place will go up in smoke." Helen said, teleporting herself inside the cell. From the outside it looked like her movements were extremely quick. She waved her staff over each point that the chain was attached to the wall freezing it solid allowing her to break them with ease and catch Neinheart as she fell into her arms, barely conscious. It only seemed like a moment until Helen then teleported them both out of the cell where Francis ran and wrapped his arms around his mother, holding her up while Cygnus tipped a small bottle of Elpam to her lips.

"That cell in there has been sealed for time. Time moves many times faster than out here. How long has she been missing?" Helen asked Cygnus, held up by Jack as the effects of the cell wore off.

"It was six days ago when she left to hear what her shadows had gathered. Usually she's gone for at least a couple days before she's back." The Empress replied.

"It looked like you were in there for only a couple seconds." Jack said as he helped steady Neinheart.

"Then that means she could have been within that cell for almost a month." Slowly the color began returning to the woman's young face while she used what strength she had recovered to hold her son close when she saw him until something sparked in Jenny's mind.

"Wait, in the game, Neinheart was a guy. So why is Neinheart a woman here? Eleanor could be playing us again!"

"No Jenny, this is and isn't Neinheart. Before your parents, The Masters, left for your world, Neinheart Von Rubistein was a very good friend of mine helping me enormously as my tactician when I had been crowned as empress at the age of twelve. Once my Knights had been trained and empowered by Shinsoo, we began our efforts in preventing the rise of the Black Mage in tandem with your parents. One of the Knights in training under Eckhart had taken a liking to Neinheart by the name of Heidrin. Once she had completed her training and was knighted, she then took up a roll to be trained by Neinheart for strategies in leading the platoon of trainees assigned under her against the Black Mage." The empress replied. Heidrin turned her face up once she felt that she had regained enough strength: her young features and blue eyes could easily have anyone fooled into believing that she was Neinheart.

"That's right. But even though I lead many soldiers into battle, I found myself falling in love with Neinheart. It wasn't long until we married and our son Elde was born. From the first time he could crawl, he had a special talent in being able to control anything as though it were a doll or marionette. 10 years went by uninterrupted: but one day, Elde just vanished. I and the Knights searched for days, but no clues were ever found. Once the Black Mage had risen, his first act was destroying Ereve. I left the island at the request of Neinheart who stayed behind with the Chief Knights and some of the more advanced knights to hold off the Mage. Many lives were lost in the battle, including my husband whose body was never recovered or found. The only thing that was ever found was his monocle which has now been taken from me." Cygnus placed a hand on the shoulder of Heidrin as she told of her painful past.

"Once Neinheart was lost, Heidrin took up the roll of being my tactician. Many a time I would call her by Neinheart's name by mistake. So in order to make things easier, she adopted the name while searching for her lost son." Heidrin then hugged Francis close, while Matthew and Jack both looked at each other in confusion.

"So wait, you mean to tell me that your son Elde is Francis?" Francis nodded as he shared his half of the story.

"The only thing that I can remember before being taken away was that I was playing with my dolls outside my house when a beautiful young woman approached me, and then waved her hand over me knocking me out. When I came to, I was deep within the Sleeping Wood in front of a rock with some sort of seal over it while the same woman stood beside it. It was then that I was told it was the sealing place of the Black Mage who spoke to me from under his seal, telling me that he wanted to employ my skills to his purpose. When I refused, he then threatened my mother so that I would work for him. To keep my mother from finding out that it was me who was doing these horrible things, he renamed me Francis. Over time I kept looking for ways to overpower the Black Mage with what I knew, but to no avail." Quickly he then hugged Heidrin, holding onto her waist not wanting to let her go since it had been nearly six years since he had seen his mother.

"Elde, it's ok, I'm here. You rescued me, just like I knew you would. You have the bravery of your father. I have no doubt that he would be very proud of you." Heidrin smiled, holding her son close once again until a cold blood lust washed over all of them. Francis eyes went wide with fear while Heidrin pulled him behind her as The Five and Eckhart turned, weapons drawn ready to attack while Cygnus stepped in front of Heidrin. The form that stood before them was the very man they were all seeking a way to stop: the Black Mage himself. Questioning whispers hung in the air while the Mage squinted his eyes, holding his hand out to Heidrin as if pointing at her.

"You were the one that betrayed me Mage! You said that If I worked or you, you wouldn't hurt her, and what was the first thing that you did when I didn't do as you wanted?" Francins yelled, making The Mage narrow his eyes even further as a wave of something passed over them all. No one could make a move from being frozen in fear from the dark power emanating from his body making them all feel weak and heavy.

"I won't go back to serve you nor will you ever threaten my mother again!" Francis yelled as he stood in front of Heidrin as though guarding her from whatever the Mage would throw at her. The Mage only closed his eyes and shook his head, ethereal growls eminating rom his as he held up his hand as though holding an orb.

"I AM NOT A CHILD! I have enough foresight to know that what you are doing is wrong!" in a blur The Mage Held out his hand, lifting Francis from his place in front of his mother and threw him to side, slumping down to the ground after hitting his head on one of the iron cell doors, slowly sitting up, rubbing his pounding head. The Mage then turned his attention back to Heidrin, as if oblivious to the existence of anyone else, angered hisses coming from him as he picked up his hand. A slender black light grew from the ground forming itself into a spear buzzing as the Mage grabbed hold of it, and then tossed it into the air as he switched his grip to a throwing stance.

"Don't… you… dare!" Growled Jenny, drawing a Spine Arrow that hummed with a green light while her hair quickly intensified in its green color, holding the point aimed for The Mage. The Mage's attention was snapped to her, making Jenny loose most of her nerve but fighting against the feeling to keep the arrow drawn while sarcastic whispers hung around her for a moment; Jenny pulled the sinews on her bow even tighter while she bore her teeth. The Mage's eyes smiled, holding his arms wide as his whispers rose in volume to a mass of indecipherable voices before appearing before Cygnus and reaching out his hand to her jaw as his whispers returned when Eleanor appeared in the doorway of the dungeon, speaking with a rather authoritative tone dressed in black rather than her usual violet clothes.

"He is right in laughing at your actions; you humans are all the same: You never stop to think about the actions you are taking. Someone comes along whose radical ideals require that things must be wiped clean in order to start again, which means killing thousands of people, and yet you yourselves who call yourself righteous in protecting those thousands of lives who are willing to end the life of one person. Doesn't it amount to the same thing?" She asked, shifting her weight to one leg while putting a hand on her hip.

"You're wrong! We stand for those who are unable to protect themselves, who need someone to stand between them and the evils you cultivate!" Olsen growled, making the Mage throw his head back in laughter that sounded more like roaring flames, nearly losing his balance because of his hysteria. All at once the Mage stopped laughing, pointing to them as growls and hisses came from him, turning his hand up while Black Magic seeped from his body. Jenny loosened her bow as his words hit her like a semi: he was right. She was willing to kill someone because she wanted to hold up what she believed to be right until Helen spoke up.

"No! We will defeat you and not because we have more power, but because you have let yourself be consumed by the darkest parts of your heart. If killing you is the only way to stop you when reason and pleading from the very one you loved no longer works…" Helen drew a large flaming sacred arrow and held it at the ready aimed for the heart of the Mage.

"…Then so be it." The Mage's eyes brightened in anger at the mention, or even the hint of his past betrayal of Minerva. In a blur he raised his hand and unleashed the spear of power that he held at Heidrin. Matthew acted quickly stepping into the path of the spear and holding out his cloak but watching horror as the spear passed through the fabric at though it were water. Helen quickly raised her cloak to block the spear, but again failed as the spear continued on its deadly path through the cloak again. Helen turned and reached out her hand to grab the handle of the spear and stop it; Heidrin shut her eyes and put up her hands in reflex until the sickening sound of a weapon piercing flesh squelched, splashing blood onto her face. Heidrin opened her eyes, only to be struck in shock as the spear sailed past her eyes in the chest of her son as he used his body to shield her from the spear. Skidding to a stop, Heidrin screamed and ran over to Francis' side, cradling him in her arms as Francis gasped and heaved through the blood that ran thick in his lungs when the spear dissipated. Helen quickly ran over to him and began using her healing power to try and heal the wounds he had sustained, but even her power was not working fast enough to close the wounds of the spear that had cut through his lung and heart.

"Elde, listen you gotta stay with me alright? You're gonna be alright, Helen's here and she's…" Francis placed a hand on Helen's and pulled it away from the gaping wound in his chest .

"It's alright. You're not hurt are you mother?" Francis asked weakly. Heidrin shook her head as tears flowed down her cheeks. She reached for Helen's hands to start healing him again, but once again Francis pushed them away.

"I've done many unforgivable things, so I don't deserve to live. But at least I could protect the last thing I cared about. Please don't be sad mother, just, remember me." Helen ignored his wishes and began healing him again, pulling on all she knew and using the power of the Amethyst Crystal to give her even more power, but even then it wasn't enough as Francis life slowly slipped away, leaving his body cold and lifeless. Heidrin' tears stung her eyes as she brushed aside his hair, then hugged his body close to her ignoring the blood that stained her dress. The rest all bowed their heads in sadness at the loss of this young boy whose only wish was to protect his mother from any harm. The Black Mage chuckled and shook his head as a cold, emotionless whisper left him, so much so that Jenny could no longer stand his sickening voice, reaching for her bow when the Mage held up his hand while Eleanor spoke for him.

"Save your anger Jenny, You'll need that for the coming…" Eleanor's words were blocked out of her mind as something within her snapped; her hair lost all its reddish brown color becoming completely green while a hazy green flame ignited around her body. Her eyes glowed with a fearful green light as she gripped her bow until her hand hurt.

"He died protecting the very thing he loved, and yet you call that a meaningless loss?!" she shouted, turning and drawing her spine arrow as she held her bow parallel to the ground while a forest green haze gathered into the shape of an arrow sounding as if lightning had struck. The bow transformed into a tribal design while a wind gathered around the arrow making the already humming arrow sound as if it were a jet engine at full throttle. The Black Mage readied to erect a protection spell, but before he could even begin to summon it, his arm had been blown off. Fearfully he looked back at Jenny as the light in her eyes spoke volumes to him while her hair was flung into the air as the radiating power of the Emerald crystal began to weave into her very being, blowing her hair up with its power. The Mage's arm regenerated quickly as he gathered a sphere of power in each hand while Jenny drew her bow again, this time with an arrow in hand. The Mage hurled both spheres together and launched a beam of dark light at her while Jenny let go of the arrow, immediately followed by another until it made a stream of arrows with a powerful green wind blowing into the beam. But the beam's power was more than Jenny's arrows could hold back, quickly consumed by the darkness. When she awoke, she found herself in the hold of the Ticket's ship, heading back to the Herb Town with Olsen at her side.

"What happened?" she asked, sitting up and then holding her side as a shot of pain hit her.

"When your power and the Black Mage's power met, his quickly overpowered yours, but the collapse of your power ended in a powerful explosion. Helen and I managed to get to you in time before the fire hit you; I wrapped you and her in my cloak so that she could teleport us to the ship. The castle collapsed soon after."

"What of Heidrin and Fra… I mean Elde." Olsen tilted his head over to the side where Heidrin sat next to the cold and stiff body of Elde with tears still falling down her face when Cygnus walked up to them.

"Don't blame yourself. Matthew and Helen were just as shocked that their cloaks didn't work. Matthew's cloak didn't work because his cloak is designed to stop a solid weapon. The spear the Black mage made was made completely of magic so it did not fall under the weapon category. Helen's cloak didn't work because her cloak was designed to stop magic. But even though the spear was made of magic, it was compressed into a weapon and so passed right though as though it weren't even there." She said gently, walking down to Heidrin and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Elde was a very brave young man. I am sorry for you loss Heidrin." Cygnus expressed soflty. Heidrin looked up to Cygnus and then embraced her as a mother, letting the tears flow in her grief. When they returned to Mu Lung, The Five stayed for a few more days, furthering their training with the Knights, and furthering the power of the Crystals so that they could hopefully prevent the loss of anymore life.

* * *

The Black Mage flexed his right hand, trying to get the sore feeling out of it from being regenerated after having blown off by Jenny: She was powerful, even at this early stage in her training.

"Are you alright Master?" Eleanor asked as she brought him a glass of potion she had made while resting her head on his shoulder, dressed in her new clothes which were the same as before, only now were black with a dark shade of violet shimmering from the fabric as the sun hit it at different angles. The Mage said nothing, sipping on the potion she had given him when Eleanor continued.

"The Guardian Archer is now a force to be reckoned with. She may still be green in her training as an Archer, but she still has far more power now that she has fully awakened the Emerald Crystal within her. Added to that, she has been learning from Irena, the Wind Archer of Cygnus and Shinsoo. Shall I go and make sure that those kids remain on the path that you have set for them?" She asked when the Mage shook his head, whispers surrounding them as he held up his hand, turning to her as the whispers became questioning.

"My Wyverns haven't found anything on the remaining three. The shell we did find however was buried deep within the Mine of the Dead, very near to the heart of Zahkum's sealed chambers." The Mage seemed to think for a while, trying to find a pattern as to the whereabouts of the next item he searched for, flipping his wrist as making the Dark Crystal appear between his fingers, narrowing his eyes.

"I found that crystal within the base of Minerva's statue." Eleanor explained, when the Mage clenched his hand, making the crystal disappear in a cloud of vapors, pointing to a part of Ossyria on a map.

"I will have my Wyverns search the area around Horn Tail's cave in the morning." Eleanor said when a growl came from the door leaning into The Mage's chamber.

"I may be able to offer some insight on the area." Horn Tail said as one of his heads slithered through the door of the Black Mage's room.

"Near the top of the Cave of Life, I kept noticing that something would reflect the sun from time to time. It might be worth a look." The Dark Mage nodded and Horn Tail pulled his head from the room and left.

"Do you think that could be it?" Eleanor asked. The Mage only looked at her, raising his head and looking out the large window of his chamber, sipping on the potion again. Eleanor nodded as she stood and gazed at the Mage for a moment before leaving, swinging her hips from side to side sensually as she usually did. The mage only looked at his hand while the words that Helen had said echoed in his head:

_"If killing you is the only way to stop you when reason and pleading from the very one you loved no longer works, then so be it."_ The Mage just snorted as he dropped his hand and sipped on the cool potion Eleanor had made for him, clenching his hand once more to try and relieve the soreness in it.


	9. Chapter 8: A Past and A Curse

Chapter 8: A Past and a Curse

The Five trained hard for nearly two weeks, the haunting memory of what Elde had done to protect his mother clinging to their memories and driving them on. None of them had actually made the killing blow, but each of them felt as though they had _let _his death happen. Jenny especially seemed to take it hard as she would practice for hours on end, using the power of the Emerald Crystal and slowly growing her own mana capacity. Athena and Irena would often have to forcefully stop her since she would train, practice and hunt until her fingers bled making the sinews stiff from the blood soaking into them. She would only allow herself enough time to get the wounds bandaged or healed by Helen and then go right back to training, blowing away boulders as though they were made of sand. Ultimately, Olsen was the one who was able to stop her from running herself ragged.

"Facing the Black Mage really made me realize just how weak we are. How weak I am." She cried as Olsen put his arms around her.

"It's true; we are all still very weak compared to the ultimate foe that we must face. However we can't let despair or sadness win out over us: thousands of people are counting on us to protect them."

"That makes what is expected of us even harder! What if we let them down? What if we _can't_ defeat the Black Mage?" Olsen brushed aside a few stray strands of Jenny's hair aside and looked her square in the eyes.

"We won't fail." The look in his eyes was firm, but at the same time, gentle. Through the years that Jenny had known Olsen, she had always known that when his eyes had that look he was never wrong. Helen and Jack could also be seen often training through courses that they themselves had set up, or that The Masters had prepared for them, quickly and powerfully taking down every obstacle in her path until she suddenly saw someone within the woods as she sprinted along. Stopping near the person, she saw that it was Heidren kneeling next to a small grave where the name "Elde" had been carved into the headstone. The ache in Helen's chest became heavier as she watched her kneeling at the foot of his grave and holding a small corn husk doll in her hands. So young, so much potential, and yet it was all taken away by the Black Mage, again. Jack stopped behind her and patted her shoulder as he walked passed her straight for Heidren and kneeling beside her.

"I'm so sorry that we couldn't prevent this." Jack said, closing his eyes and looking away at the realization that what he just said might have been the wrong thing.

"It's alright; you five did your best. The Black Mage has taken everything we know, and twisted it into something so unrecognizable…" the tears poured from her eyes once again before she could finish her sentence. Jack put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her in her grief, the only thing he knew to do.

* * *

"Harder!" Matthew swung with all his might at the stone that he had been trying to split since he began his training, having the edge of the giant Zard spark and cut into the rock only a bit. It was a large sword that looked similar to a kitchen knife with three large steel rings in the top of the sword.

"Again! Harder!" Lillianne shouted as Matthew dragged the heavy sword from on top of the rock and let it hit the ground with a thud as the rings attached to the back of the blade clicked and rang. With a grunt Matthew hoisted the sword from the ground and screamed light gathered at the hilt and flung it forward as he brought the sword down again, only to have it spark and skid across the surface of the stone making Matthew fall to the ground from the momentum.

"Get Up! Hit it again, harder this time." Lillianne sternly ordered; Matthew just waved his hand at her and lay down in the grass, unclipping the shoulder guards if the samurai-like Jangoon armor he had been given by Lillianne.

"What are you doing? Get up and split that rock!" she swung her halberd and split a similar rock with a single handed swing, making sparks and dust fly everywhere. She was about to turn back to Matthew and begin drilling him again when she found him right in her face without the armor over his upper body. Matthew put both hands on the side of her head, making her stop and just look him in the eyes for a moment to see the deeper pain.

"Listen! I just watched a little kid die and there was _nothing_ I could do about it! Not even that stupid Gaia Mantle stopped him from dying! Do you think that I'm just going to pass it off as something that is part of the path to defeating the Black Mage!?" he shouted, feeling angry and frustrated at his own inability to save a life he had sworn that he would protect.

"Matthew, I know how you feel about Elde, but you can't let that one loss blind you from the fact that there are thousands more counting on you who are alive." Matthew hung his head and eased his grip on the side of her head, swallowing as that realization hit him.

"I know…" the sound of wings flapping came in as Cygnus dismounted Shinsoo and walked over to them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, however your presence is requested back in the camp. A message has just come in from Masteria addressed to you Five Guardians."

"Who is it from?" Lillianne asked agitatedly. The Empress could only shrug and shake her head, saying that a small device had been sent. Matthew quickly donned the armor again, sheathed the Zard on his back and the yellow bladed Traus on his belt, running back for town with Lillianne following close behind. The others had all been notified by the Knights, so as they traveled back to the town, questions arose in their minds: Who was the message from? Why would they be sent a message? Was Masteria affected or in danger? None of the answers they wanted seem to arise by thinking, so they just waited for the answers to come from the device. The device in question seemed to be no bigger than an egg, with hard lines and slightly rusting spots which made it look like a small Steam Punk Orgel, which Dances held as he looked over every inch of it.

"So, what's the message?"Jenny asked once she had made it back to town. Dances shrugged, still looking over the object.

"I'm not sure where to push 'play'." As soon as Dances had finished the word, the small device opened on top, producing two small, square radar dishes on the top, while the body of the orgel looked to morph into some sort of spider, small gears and levers clicked and clattering into its shape. Once it was complete, a voice sounding much like it was computer generated spoke through the small dishes, articulating every syllable.

"Greetings to you, the newest Heroes of Ossyria. I offer my praises to you for defeating the slime k-k-k-k-k-k-king. As such, his sensors managed to pick up your power; I c-c-c-commend you on such a task. As such, he would like to tell you of a past that even the Empress is not aware of. There are, number, two questions that I must ask of you. Question, number, one: will you come to Masteria to hear this History?" the five looked at each other, and then looked at their parents. This machine was asking them to come to Masteria to hear something that no one knew? If it could help them in their quest to stop the Black Mage, then there was no reason why they would refuse.

"Yes, we'll come." The small devise clicked and buzzed a moment as it spoke again.

"Processing. Question: will you come and hear this History? Answer: Yes we'll come. Translated as: we accept to hear this past. Is this correct?" Olsen raised his eyebrow. He had never heard a machine talk to him in such a way, at least going beyond what he had made his computer say by messing with its speech function, which this machine seemed to be very similar to.

"Yes." Answered Matthew as the machine clicked and spoke again.

"Processing. Answer: yes. Very well then this unit shall ask the, number, se-e-e-econd question: Are there any other persons that you wish to bring along? Please be aware that this unit cannot transport more than, number, eight people at, number, one time." Jack thought a moment while looking around the circle of people gathered around the machine.

"Just a second." Helen said as she pulled Matthew aside while the machine buzzed again.

"Processing. Answer: just a second. Translated as: We need a moment to think. Is this Correct?" Jack laughed, ignoring the small machine while turning to Matthew.

"Matt, If it were me, I would take Aran and the Empress with us at least. Since they could always tell our folks what's going on." Matthew nodded as he listened to Helen and looked back at Lillianne.

"I'd like to take Lilli with us too; there might be things that we can't handle that she and Aran could take on."

"You really mean that you want to bring your girlfriend with you, right?" Matthew looked up at Helen from under his eyebrows just shaking his head as he went back to the machine.

"Yes. There are three people that we would like to take along: Aran, Lillianne, and Cygnus."

"Processing. Answer: Yes. There are three people that we would like to take along: Aran, Lillianne, and Cygnus. Translated as: Aran the Ancient hero, Lillianne his daughter, and the Empress of Ossyria are coming in addition to you, number, Five. Is this Correct?"

"Yes." Aran answered.

"Processing. Answer: Yes. To transport you to Masteria, you must first be transported to Victoria, where a train is waiting for you. This unit will take you there. Please place this unit on the ground and will the traveling party please surround this unit." Dances set the device down and stepped away to let the other eight gather around.

"This unit will now transport, number, eight people to Victoria, city, Kerning where the train bound for Masteria waits. Once we are in, city, Kerning, please go down to the subway to board the train. Please do not hold hands, as the DNA of each of you may become meshed or scrambled in reconstruction." Since no one was holding hands, they all stood and waited, while a soft white light enveloped the lot, shrinking them down into nothing more them a data map and winking out of existence before them. Once they had left, Gregory and May stood around, waiting for an explanation into what their children were up to this time. Mark and Yasmin understood and were accepting of their children's roll in saving this world, but Gregory and May were having a hard time accepting what they were seeing was real based on Grendal's explanation.

"Dad, I know that you happen to have a bit of a wild imagination when it comes to games and all, but is all of this real?" Gregory asked. Grendal nodded, only to have May pummel him with questions of her own.

"Is Helen safe out there? I mean with all this talk of this dangerous man named Black Mage and all, is she really safe?" Grendal reassured them that Helen was a smart girl, and wouldn't engage an enemy she knew to be too far out of her league if she didn't have to. May still wasn't convinced that Helen was safe, but since there was nothing that either of them could do about it, because in a way, they were outsiders. All they could do was be there for their daughter whenever anything came their way that would require their help, whatever it may be.

"Don't worry honey. Dad's right: Helen's smart and powerful. I watched her the other day reduce a huge tree to ashes with just a wave of her hand." May's face looked doubtful as she looked away and put on a brave smile, but inside, she was worried stiff about her little girl.

* * *

With a peel of thunder, the small group morphed into existence right in the middle of the Kerning City Square while small shiny records rolled away and hid amongst the shadows and clouds of perfume pulled back into their lamp-like bottles.

"You are now in, city, Kerning. Please go to the subway where the train awaits." The unit said in the same computer generated voice. Jack huffed as he picked up the small device and headed with the others down the darkened stairs, lit only by a flickering light from time to time. In the darkness and dim lighted station, a large shape loomed: large gears and cogs connected to levers, fans and lights which pulsed in a cascading motion. Steam hissed from some of the many pistons guarding the giant wheels as a few levers and drive shafts clanked and clicked in movement making the large steam-punk inspired engine sound as if it had a mechanical heartbeat while it waited at the station. Behind the tender, a 50's style passenger car sat with the doors open awaiting its passengers.

"Please board the passenger car. Guardian who is holding this unit, please take this unit to the driver's cab of the engine and place it within the drive connector." Jack raised his eyebrow while he made his way to the cab, looking around to try and find this drive connector, or at least something that looked to be the spot the device talked about. However the only thing that he could see was a small base that was centered in twelve vein-like tubes connected to it, glowing a strange red color with small bubbles floating through the pipes.

"Is that it?" Jack asked pointing to where he thought it would be. The small device turned around on his hand, picking up each of its pointy eight legs and making a small clicking noise of cogs and levers.

"Processing. Question: is that it? Translated as: Is that point there the Drive Connector? Is this right?"

"Yeah."

"Processing. Answer: Yeah. Translated as: Yes. Correct, that point in the center of the Drive Hydraulic Lines is the Drive Connector. Once you have placed this unit in that Connector, the train will start in, number, thirty seconds. Please be sure to be seated and buckled in place in that amount of time." Jack nodded and then gently placed the device in the center of the lines, where the device clicked and whined as it almost meshed with the connector, and then began a countdown.

"This train will launch in, numbers, 28… 27… 26…" Jack hurriedly ran to the car and plopped down into his seat, pulling down something that resembled a rollercoaster harness over him.

"Say, Empress. Why all the gear? It's just a ride to another continent." Helen asked as she buckled her belt and pulled down the harness.

"I'm sorry to say, but right now Masteria is under the water. Very, _very _far under the water. Before it sank after the rise of the Black Mage, the Victorians tried to keep a train line open to Masteria for a trade route to the Omega sector since new technology was being discovered all the time. But because the small continent was in constant motion the line was often in disrepair and became almost impossible to keep reliably open. And so the continent was connected via an off shoot rout to Singapore by plane. However this train is new to me." Clicks and hisses arose as the doors closed and then locked in place with a heavy bolt, while more clicks and hisses came from the engine as it heaved its way into motion. The eight of them were surprised at the acceleration as it quickly left the underground station and was speeding along the tracks with the giant wheels singing and humming over the rails that stretched out behind them.

"Wait, you said that Masteria is _under_ the water right?" Olsen asked as the train began gathering speed.

"Yes, why?"

"So that means we're gonna be going down to the water's edge and a tunnel soon, right?" a speaker in the car crackled as the device's voice came through.

"This train will be leaving the tracks soon. Please be sure that you are properly seated and buckled into place. Beginning underwater drive transformation." Each of the windows sounded as if a heavy bolt locked all the windows while a small hiss of steam emanated from each and the harnesses locked in place. Hums and clanks came from the engine as the acceleration suddenly stopped and the thrumming heartbeat of pistons ceased its rhythm with grinding and steady humming taking its place.

"Transformation complete. Beginning dive." For a moment the humming and scrapping stopped as the Five's eye went wide in shock while the cliff edge sped away from them and the slow weightlessness of falling made their hearts jump to their throats as the train free fell into the water with all eight of them screaming, watching as they dropped into the water like lead. The few moments that they all had before they hit the water felt like an eternity until all went black from the train hitting the water and plunging into the depths.

"Beginning Underwater Drive." The mechanical voice said over the speakers as lights came on in the car and the harnesses unlatched, allowing anyone to leave their seat if they so desired. Lillianne was the first to open her eyes, only to close them against her pounding head from knocking it against the harness. Slowly she undid the harness and wobbly walked over to Matthew's chair, patting his face to wake him up.

"Matt? Hey, wake up." Lillianne said as she patted his face, but with no response.

"If you are trying to awaken them, I shall assist." A small door above each of the seven others opened letting a small dousing of ice cold water hit them, which immediately woke them all up. Cygnus held her head against the pounding inside of it, just as Aran and the others did, trying to clear the fog of getting knocked out.

"If you wish to look around, the windows can provide you with enough light to see what is in the water." The voice said again as all the harnesses released to allow everyone to get up and look around. Outside, squid-like creatures clung to the side of the rocks while schools of fish swam by or away from the train as it rolled gently from side to side and descended into the depths. Soon, Sharks began to appear stealthily swimming by, uninterested in the machine that was invading their waters. However Jenny noticed that there was something in the dark not too far outside the light of the windows with glowing red eyes. Suddenly a black cloud enveloped the train, blocking the view of everyone. From the seat, metal arms shot out and grabbed each of the eight and sat them down, locking them into place again.

"Do not resist as this is for your safety. We are approaching a pack of Skelefish, another of the Black Mage's minions. To add to the problem, some of the sharks and squid have been stirred into a violent frenzy by the Skelefish. The ride will be slightly bumpy." Helen felt something cold run down her spine, like the ice magic that she used sometimes in her own attacks when something hard hit the side of the car, making the whole window become covered in ice. The window across from Helen allowed her to see a bright blue hex appear through the cloud, then another and another as more and more ice began to pummel the car until the light dimmed to a low glow.

"Battle mode, Transform." The voice said as lines with gold light began thrumming up the walls of the car and forwards along the roof, similar to that of computer circuits. A hum rose over the sounds of pummeling, lighting up the waters in a bright yellow flash came from the engine and disappeared into the dark, striking one of the sharks. The Hum rose again and launched another bolt of bright light while the train lurched and rolled from left to right, up and down all the while launching the yellow bolts into the water making all of them sick, even Aran who prided himself in being a hardened warrior. Just as soon as the rocking and dipping had begun, it stopped.

"Please forgive the roughness of this landing. Due to minor damages, the Battle Transformation cannot be undone. Rail transformation, begin." Clicks and snaps sounded as the engine sounded as though it were going through some kind of seizure when all at once a hard jolt shot up their spines as the wheels made contact with rails once more. Something like a thin membrane passed over the windows of the car as they entered a suburban area, teaming with people bustling here and there going about a normal life as though nothing were wrong. Quickly and rather unsophisticatedly the train came to a dead halt and slid into the station with wheels sparking and steam hissing out if the break pistons. The door clanked as the bolt holding it shut was undone and the locks holding it closed rotated to the unlocked position allowing the doors to slide open.

"Please be sure to take this unit from the Drive Connector so that this unit may guide you to Bigger Ben where the one who sent this unit is waiting for you." The harnesses opened up and allowed the group to walk out of the car where a few people stood around staring at them all and the train they had arrived in. Olsen turned to go retrieve the device from the cab of the train when he stopped and fell to the side so that his face wouldn't be hit by a piece of metal hanging down. When he looked up at what it was, he saw that it was half of the boiler laying down flat, revealing a huge three barreled plasma cannon smoking at the ends from inside the boiler. The Five looked over the train that brought them, amazed that it was still the same engine: along the tender were triple turrets, similar in shape to the main cannon while gill-like louvers revealed a pulsing golden yellow substance within the base of the engine as steam and smoke rose from the wheels where more of the golden yellow substance radiated in a swirl pattern.

"Please remove this unit from the engine so that this unit can guide you to Bigger Ben and the one who sent it." Olsen snapped out of trance he was in over the engine, quickly going to the cab and pulling the device from the drive. The unit then jumped down and guided them through the city where hundreds of people would stare or whisper as they went by.

"Do you know why they're all staring at us? I mean we're nothing special." Jack asked as he leaned in to Aran.

"I'm not sure. It could be from the rumors of your return to Ossyria." Aran answered. Jack had to suffice with that for the moment as they walked through the city, following the little spider-like robot leading them to the center of the city where a towering clock stood, chiming with massive bells hidden somewhere deep within itself as the hour struck.

"So Jenny, I noticed that you have some new Armor and bows." Helen mentioned nervously at her white and red attire.

"Yeah, isn't it cute? My mom said it was the Piettera. This Vaulter is SOOO much lighter then the Ryden, but it's like twice as stiff. Only complaint I have is this Heckler, it's so long that it hits my leg some times. What about you? You look quite mysterious with that dress." Jenny complemented in return.

"Thanks. Gramps said it was called the Black Moon. He said that a new staff is waiting for me once I get back. I think he called it a Hall." Helen looked over to Jack's hands which looked to be heavily armored in some kind of red gloves with brass studs on top of his hand. Jack noticed her stare and held up his fist, lifting his eyebrows.

"Neozards. And the Moon Shot. Suckers are heavy though." He said laughing a bit. The puffy candy striped pants and red vest made him think that he looked like Disney's Aladdin, especially with his hair tied down in the a bandana of the same candy striping of pants, sporting a black skull and crossbones embroidered into it. The girls then looked over to Olsen, somewhat admiring the tight black shirt with steel bands resting on his shoulders and close fitting black pants. The claw that rested on his right arm wore the name of it in gold letters that spelled out "Blood Avarice" while the dagger that hung from his belt had the name "Bazlud" in gold letters along the blade. At the base of the clock, the small device walked up the side of the wall and then sank into one of the windows which lowered a platform for the group to step onto. People stopped and stared with jaws dropped or in confusion as they watched them rise high above the buildings in the city, until they could no longer be seen from street level. At the top, the platform tilted up slightly until they stepped onto the ledge, allowing the platform to descend once more. Before them was a huge brass and iron door with four large gears in the face as well as eight large pistons. The Five could almost feel something pulling them to the door where five hand prints set into the brass awaited with steel plates set into the fingers. Each of them put their left hand into the molds which fit perfectly, making blue circuits on the door suddenly light up as it pulled mana from them. The pistons hissed open releasing each of the four sections of the door and a large bolt clanked open as four small lights in the corners if the door changed to green from red, allowing the large gears in the center to turn. With each movement, clanking and humming sounded while each section of the door slid into the corner revealing a dark room from which emanated more sounds of hissing steam, clanking gears and drive rods thrumming out a mechanical heartbeat. Once they walked in just beyond the door's threshold, it then closed behind them, leaving them alone in the dark with the mechanical sounds.

"Well, now what?" asked Lillianne. Suddenly the area where they stood was illuminated revealing hundreds of large cogs, connecting rods, shafts, pistons and flywheels part of which disappeared into a legion of generator looking machines. Most of the gears weren't moving save for the twelve gears that drove the clock where large weights hung from the drive shaft. Something sounded as though it were walking down the hall, metallic feet clanging and pinging off the floor while three red eyes glowed from the darker hallway ahead. Once they had come into the light, the blue bodies and steel legs shone as three spider-like mechanical creatures came walking forwards to them. Matthew's eye went wide as he realized what they were facing.

"Uh, guys. These things were called Wolf Spiders in the game, but they were a level 80 monster. I don't even know if we'd be able to take them on here." Aran and Lillianne readied their weapons to attack and in response the spiders opened their mouths revealing a plasma pistol, glowing and ready to fire. But they didn't attack as they came closer until they were within arm's reach, stopping and starring the group down for a few tense moments until the spiders collapsed the gun back into their body and turned around, ordering the group to follow and walked back into the dark hallway which lit up as they went. With each new set of lights that came on, more gears and generators were revealed, some having strange markings on them or on the many support beams that crisscrossed their path, some of which appeared to have been bent of melted. As they descended, strange floating green stones surrounded by steel or bronze contraptions lined their path, hooked up to a myriad of wires with more of the spiders welding the surrounding rings or looking over each of the stones. They soon realized they were far below the surface of the ground, and still they descended down with even more gears, some of which in a transmission formation, stretching on and on in the dark while more spiders ran here and there, almost seeming to look over the machinery like a mechanic. For an hour they walked through passage after passage until they came to what looked to be a throne room of sorts where a dull red glow hummed at the far end. The spiders stopped, then clicked and squeaked a series of patterns as the door slid shut behind them, locking with a heavy bolt. Before them, the red glow hummed brighter at the front of a giant machine: clicks, whines, scrapes and clanks echoed in the chamber as the machine looked to pull free from the braces and conduits connected to it. Six arms spun around a mechanical eye set inside of its triangular body, turning this way and that like an eyeball while it came close to them, hanging on a snake-like body that disappeared into the dark air above them. Clinking gears and humming clutches engaged as the body of the machine moved to them when from somewhere in the dark, the small device appeared out of nowhere with its feet pinging off the metal floor as it walked, then knelt before the large machine, easily 50 times its size.

"Behold, The Machinist." The device said as Machinist looked at the device and asked in a rather human voice:

"Dig Bite, are these people before me the Newest Heroes of Ossyria?" The Machinist's voice was rather calming, and didn't sound at all like it was a machine.

"Yes, Lord Machinist. These are the, number, five warriors of which you requested." Once the device was thanked, Machinist then turned his attention to the group that was before him.

"Greetings to you of the Flesh World. I humbly welcome the Empress herself to the humble Mindrive Sanctuary. Aran, I welcome the ancient warrior from so long ago, as well as your daughter, Lillianne. And a very special welcome to you, the Newest Heroes of Ossyria; Matthew, the Guardian Swordsman; Jenny, the Guardian Archer; Helen, the Guardian Mage; Olsen, the Ninja Guardian; And Jack, the Guardian of the Nautilus. No doubt you are wondering why I have requested that you come to this place." The Empress was the first to speak from among the awestruck group.

"We are Machinist. Please, why is it that you have brought us here?" The Machinist's eye fell as he turned and hit a series of points on the wall which lit the room where they were in revealing hundreds, if not millions of gear sets in the wall which pulled away to reveal something that resembled the inside of a pocket watch, gears and connecting rods jolting into motion, shaking the rust that had gathered in thick piles along each edge which then began moving a platform the group stood on, giving them a tour of the clock works as the Machinist spoke, different holographic screens playing short movies as they went.

"Long ago, far before the time of Corus and Minerva, there were a people, a proud people who were immersed into the art of creating technology. New and better works which despite their old look, were really well ahead of their time. Among these people lived two, who would later be known as legendary people: Subani and Narcian, two brothers who were at the cutting edge of the quickly developing Technology of Olde Sapp. Long before the world as you know it today, the world was one giant continent with Olde Sapp at its center where the Grand Gears were created, making the entire city into a production center of artificial Mana which was then used to power many creations including the inter-dimensional gates that used a series of spell seals dialed in a certain order to open a portal to another world by using the Grand Gears to power them. Only two of these gates remain from the great catastrophe in the Sleeping Wood. This people's ultimate creation was the Mindrive: the culmination of everyone's intellect and hard work that could translate human thought into a tangible energy source such as electricity. However it was still in its early stages of research so it was not released into the public. To maintain such a powerful converter, the Grand Gears were expanded deep into the ground where a battery of cogs and computers were stored, essentially making up my mind. To watch over the Gears since they had become far vaster then the humans could manage, I was created as head mechanic and the Steel Spiders later known as the Wolf Spiders, were made to be my assistants. With the Mindrive in its final stages, it was set beside the then known Great Clock, now called Bigger Ben. With the Grand Gears' artificial Mana and the Mindrive working in tandem, the gateways could then dial to previously unreachable dimensions where even more technology was integrated into the Grand Gears. However, the Mindrive was soon being used to create new technologies that only it could recharge, such as weapons and mechanical creatures to guard the gates when they were opened. Unfortunately, the brothers were arguing on what the Mindrive should really be used for: Narcian wanted to use it to create powerful weapons that would allow them to overthrow any world and extend the reach of Olde Sapp in a bloody conquest. Subani was the more peaceful of the brothers and argued that the power should be directed into making life better for the people of the continent, and not just in Olde Sapp. Their arguments soon escalated to fights in the street, bringing in others who shared their same views and beliefs about what the machine should be used for: weapons for conquest, or a better life. Before long, the entire continent was dragged into the massive war, each side trying to gain control over the only existing Mindrive. Since the power of the Mindrive was based in human thought, people were then dedicated to surrounding it for its power, allowing the people on the side of Subani to create weapons possessing enough power to destroy worlds which made me and my Spiders work strenuously to maintain the Grand Gears, having to replace at least one part every other day just to keep up with the demand of artificial mana powering the Mindrive. Since Narcian had helped in creating the great machine, it wasn't long until he had made his own, allowing him to create weapons to counter those of Subani. The second Mindrive was also governed by the Grand Gears to keep its power in control. However that too soon proved to be disastrous as it overworked the Grand Gears' Generators even further. Soon the Spiders and I were changing four to five parts a day, essentially rebuilding the Grand Gears within the year. Near the end of the war, Subani and Narcian decided that the only way to end it once and for all was to become a god-like being by using the power of the Mindrive which was slowly transforming the people with just its presence. Neither knew of the other's decision to become this being, but the alchemist they had gone to didn't care, so long as he was allowed to perform such an inhumane experiment. The battle intensified a thousand fold once the two of them had been transformed, using both the power of the Mindrive and the Grand Gears to fuel their powers to horrendous levels. With the strain of both Drives' being controlled by the Grand Gears and the pull from the brothers for mana, the Great Gears could no longer support the demand and began to fall apart, tearing small holes in space-time due to their overuse. My final decision was to save the Grand Gears which made up the entire underground of Olde Sapp with the Great Clock at its center. Once I had stored enough power, I severed the conduits leading to the Mindrives and detached the city, sinking it into the ocean and protecting it with a barrier leaving those that were left in the city enough power to last at least a thousand years. Being separated from the Grand Gears however made each of the Mindrives become extremely unstable, leading to people dying from a rebound of power surging into their mind when they thought to it. It was soon after that, Subani and Narcian began using the Mindrive itself as a weapon; firing beams of concentrated power at each other leaving thousands dead. Their greatest creation was their greatest failure however: on the final day of the war in their hubris, the both of them fired the Mindrive at each other at the exact same time with the exact same power level. The result of the beams meeting was catastrophic. The explosion wiped everything away, obliterating everything that was above us and outside of the barrier protecting Old Sapp including the flow of time which resulted in tachyons being found in their floating state. It was not very long after that, Minerva and Corus came to our world and recreated the continent as Ossyria. The Five Crystals were really a solidification of residual converted power left over from the Mindrive, thoughts of the people who had given them its power separated into five elements. The Amethyst Crystal contains within it all the knowledge and wisdom of all those who empowered the Mindrive Helen. The Emerald Crystal, Jenny, has within its power the grace and agility of those with an eye for great distances. The Pink Quartz, Olsen, has within it the ever elusive luck and silence, weather it was small or great from every person that ever gave their thoughts to it. The Ruby Crystal which was split between the two of you, Jack and Matthew, contains within it the inner strength and the will of all who thought to the Mindrive, which allows you two be such a formidable force with very little use." Cygnus and the others could only stand in stunned silence from the story they had heard from a machine at the heart of a town that was older then Ossyria itself.

"About 10 years before the resurrection of the Black Mage, Icebyrd Slimm began searching the depths of the ocean due to energy readings that he had found while looking for veins of mithril. It was in this very room where Icebyrd asked that the city be brought back to the surface where he could bring in materials to rebuild the city, since so much of it had broken down into rubble and rotting wood. I did bring the city back to the surface for a short time allowing Icebyrd to re-build and repopulate the city. But with the resurrection of the Black Mage, I have once again submerged the city to keep it and its secrets safe. I tell you this tale not so that you will know what happened here in Masteria; I tell you this tale so that you will stop what has happened in the past from happening again. At the rate and path that the Black Mage is headed, he will destroy this world and everyone in it again, including himself." The group was still in shock over the fact that there was a world had existed even before their own world, and now a machine was asking them to prevent what had happened in the past from happening again!

"Machinist, if the crystals are solidified and purified thoughts of the people of Olde Sapp, then what is the Dark Crystal?" asked Aran as he stepped forwards, resting the end of Maha on the floor. The Machinist seemed to become saddened, or unwilling to tell what it was that the Dark Crystal really was.

"Machinist?" Helen asked, bending down to look him in the eye.

"The Dark Crystal is the purified dark thoughts. The thoughts that everyone wants to keep hidden from the world. Thoughts that would carry ill will to anyone and everyone if they were bred and nurtured into full fledged actions, even thoughts that could be bred into existence from injustice and hurt. Every time the Mindrive was used, all of these thoughts were melded together into one continuous stream and balanced by the Mindrive. But since Minerva and Corus separated them, if the Dark Crystal was used alone, only Minerva knows what would happen."

"I know exactly what would happen. But only someone who is a master of Black Magic would be able to control such deadly and dark power." Olsen stated.

"The Black Mage…" Cygnus whispered. Olsen nodded as she began to catch on to his train of thought.

"From what I understand, no one knows what happened to Eleanor after she was defeated by your knights, and only a short time after she disappeared did the Black Mage come back. What if he has it? For all we know he could be doing a magical workout of sorts to get his power back up to its former level and in the mean time using the Dark Crystal as his source of power until he is just as powerful as he was again."

"If that is the case Olsen then you must stop him before he accomplishes that goal." The Machinist said, taking his arms and holding out something to the each of them.

"These rings were created by Subani himself in order to amplify the power of the people that followed him. It should work a hundred times better for you in the end. However I must warn you that the power of this ring can only be used once. Once it is put on, the power will be used and the ring will fall apart. These are the last remaining rings in existence, and the process for making the rings was only known by Subani himself. As a machine who has watched your kind drive itself to ruin by the power of one or more individuals, I ask that you find a way to end the violence." The group remained silent as they left Masteria to Victoria, feeling the weight of two pasts now resting on their shoulders.

* * *

The Mage's eyes smiled as the crystal was once more dancing between fingers as a coin while he sat back and continued to think plans through, letting the crystal ball go dark as he watched a listened to the Machinist.

"Mage, I have two questions for you." Eleanor sweetly stated as she smoothly walked up to him and sat down across his lap, leaning her head against his chest. The Mage nodded to her, waiting silently for her to begin.

"If you wanted to merely train the crystals power to a level that would suit you, then why don't you send out the Stump King and push them until the power becomes usable?" The Mage sighed, his breath sounding ethereal while whispers hung in the air all around them, holding up the Dark Crystal which looked to simmer with dark light for a moment

"Released? The crystals have been sealed? But how is that possible? I thought the master's didn't possess that kind of knowledge or power." Eleanor exclaimed, shrinking back slightly when The Mage snapped his stare to her, hissing in the back of his throat with a deep tone.

"I'm sorry master, it was not my intention. I was not aware that Minerva was the one who put such a seal on them. Does that mean that the Dark Crystal also has a seal?" The Mage shook his head, holding up the crystal to the light, turning it this way and that as the light filtering through it shone down on him.

"Then my second question is…" The Mage quieted her words with a bony finger to her lips, clenching his hand around the crystal and making it disappear then holding out his hand as an image of a beach appeared. Whispers directed at the image took the form of a small cloud, traveling to the water's edge and disappearing below the surface where a bright blue glow shone for a moment.

"I see." Eleanor said smoothly, getting up from her position and standing next to the throne, watching intently at what was about to happen.

* * *

The train brought them to Lyth Bay, hovering in the water and allowing the group to step out of the car with the salty air brushing their face.

"This unit has contacted Joel to come for you and take you back to the others. This unit wishes you safe journeys ahead." The small drive device said over outside speakers that crackled and sparked as it spoke before slipping back into the water and disappearing from their sight.

"Well… what do we do now? Who knows how long it will be before Joel gets here." Jenny said to no one in particular. Matthew put up his hand and tilted his head a bit, listening to something in the far distance.

"Heeeelp! Is anyone there? Hello! Please! Anyone!" the voice sounded as though it were coming closer, and slightly distressed. Olsen herded the group into a small shack and hid behind the counter, listening as the man walked closer to where they were, sounding as though he was getting into a boat. Jack pushed himself up to see over the counter, peeking out just enough to see a man dressed in a white tee and blue shorts with a red over shirt and a yellow sun visor. He pulled on the rope to start the boat's motor and then untied it from the dock, mumbling something as he sat down and held the bridge of his nose. Jack instantly recognized the man and jumped over the counter.

"Valen! Wait!" the man looked up, but then quickly reached for a fishing pole at the bottom of the boat and held it as though he was going to strike Jack.

"Woah! Take it easy man. I'm not here to hurt you. What do you need help with?"

"How can I be sure you're not a Black Soldier in disguise?" he asked, holding the pole higher.

"Because the Black Soldiers do not have any powers which last long enough for them to pull off such a stunt." Cygnus answered as she stepped from the hut. Valen's eyes went wide as he quickly dropped the pole, tied the boat and then knelt down on the dock.

"Your Highness!"

"It's ok… I'm the Guardian Pirate, Jack. The rest of them are right here. We didn't know who you were so we were just taking precautions." As he finished, the others came walking out from the shack, standing around Valen, instantly making his face seem to relax.

"Thank Minerva! I need the help of you guardians. Ever since I can remember, I have lived on Florina which is known for its beaches. Even though the Black Mage has risen, this island is one of the few places that have been left alone. But that's beside the point: On the island there is a beast that only seems to leave us alone when we send someone to him with an offering of all the fruit of the island. The one who brought the offering always returns. Sure life was a bit scarce, but we would always be left alone. But now, the Beast has taken my sister! The time of an offering had come, and Rael was chosen to lead the Beast to the pile of fruit for an offering. It usually takes a short while, but it's been nearly three hours and she has yet to return. I have no power of my own, and all the people of Florina had left to Herb Town once the Mage arose. Please! Rescue my sister before she's turned into fish food!"

"Is the beast that took your sister named King Clang?" Matthew asked. Valen quickly ran to him and clapped a hand over his mouth while putting a finger to his own lips.

"Never speak that name! If he hears you, he won't spare you or my sister!"

"Who else is on the island?" asked Lillianne.

"Just me and my sisters, Riel and Roel. Rael was taken by the beast somewhere into the Sands of Fire."

"Then you guys wait here for Joel. I'll go and get rid of this 'beast' and bring your sister back. 'Sides, I'm the only one with a Fire Cloak remember?" Matthew shook his head, handing him a bottle of water.

"I'm coming with you. I found this under the counter when we were hiding. You're gonna need it." Olsen smiled and taking the bottle and shaking his head as he and Matthew boarded the boat with Valen and heading back to Florina. Before either of them could really get sick or board in the boat, they were already heading through the jungle like forests of Palm trees and ferns, dodging the occasional crab, and outwitting the powerful water jets from the tortoises that slept on the beaches until they came the Sands of Fire. An area of sand that was completely white, with no trees or vegetation, no hiding areas or even a rock for that matter. Olsen stepped onto the sands from the shade of the trees making him instantly realize why it was called the Sands of Fire. He hadn't taken more than three steps when his feet began to hurt, the sweat running down his face never falling to the ground, and his skin felt as if it were being burned just by standing in the sun. Quickly he ran back to the shade, feeling the temperature drop instantly, almost making him feel cold in comparison.

"That hot huh?" Matthew asked. Olsen nodded and watched as Matthew trotted over the sands, looking as though he was trying to stay moving until he finally came back, his pants darkening from sweat at the waist.

"It's not so bad if you stay moving." He said, panting and taking the bottle of water from under his shoulder, which had melted and released all the water. Olsen then unbuckled his cloak and laid it down on the sand which immediately began glowing a red color around the edges allowing Olsen to step onto the sand and though it were just a normal day. However, now he had a problem: he didn't have another cloak to protect him from the sand's heat until something caught his eye which had been embroidered into the neck of the cloak.

"What are you going to do now genius?" Matthew asked jokingly as Olsen looked back at him and raised his eyebrows. He knelt down to get a clearer view when he began hearing whispers mingled together in a mass of voices, but strangely being completely clear in saying "Pensez et donc il est". Upon closer examination, there was some embroidery on the back of the cloak that looked to be in an old language. The characters that at first were something that he had no idea what they said until the characters seemed to blur and then separate into and English words saying "Think, therefore it is". Slowly the whispers changed, again whispering the same sentence in English when Olsen remembered what Aran had said about the Gaia Mantles being tools and not just a decoration.

"_Maybe the cloaks don't have just one form." _Olsen thought as he stood back up, thinking what other uses it could be used for rather than just a shield against fire and heat.

"_It said, think therefore it is. Maybe…_"

"Olsen, what's up?" Matthew asked impatiently as he watched him.

"I think the Mantles can change just by thinking it. It might be different for each one, but just being a Mantle isn't the only form they have, I'm sure of it." Matthew watched in clouded interest as Olsen closed his eyes and then placed his hand on the embroidery, making the thought of protective shoes repeat in his mind again and again while the cloak began to pulse and glow until it suddenly separated into light and wrapped around his shoes and feet, transforming into something that looked like royal shoes while protecting him from the heat of the sands allowing his to walk and run freely. Matthew and Olsen were impressed; by merely thinking of what you want the cloak to be it would form itself to that and still have its properties. Suddenly a woman's voice came into Olsen's head.

"You have created a new form of the Crimson Gaia Mantle of Fire. Each of the cloaks have three other forms besides the Mantle. However you must be careful on what forms you choose: For once a form is created, that form cannot be erased or altered and will be remembered by the cloak until it is passed on to another. All that is needed is to think of the form and it will transform to it. You have two other forms left. Be mindful of the forms you choose." And then the voice died away as soon as it had come. Olsen didn't have any other forms in mind, but he remembered that so he could tell the others as he set off across the sands quickly telling Matthew what he had been told. Minutes went by like hours as they searched for something that would resemble the giant blue shell he remembered from the game, Olsen searching the beach itself while Matthew searched from the shaded boarder. No matter where they searched, they couldn't find that shell. They even went to the other side of the island, and still hadn't found King Clang anywhere.

"_Even though he's a giant crab, he's still kinda like a spirit, so I don't think that he would need to stay near the water._" Olsen thought as a shadow began creeping up behind him making the temperature drop to something that was fairly more bearable and took a drink of water from the bottle that Matthew had given him. While he was in mid swallow, Matthew called out to him and he felt a hostile intention that suddenly fill the air aimed at him. He looked down at the ground, and watched a part of the shadow lift something high above the larger shadow. Quickly Olsen dove to the side as Matthew rushed in and deflected the claw into the ground, making a wave of sand fly into the air. Olsen flicked some stars into his hand and threw them back at whatever had tried to hit him, pink flames roaring after them, but only clanking off the hard shell of the monster they had been searching for, King Clang. He looked slightly different then he thought he would look: he shell was brown, covered in barnacles and sea weeds draping from each of the ridges in the shell. Despite the color differences, the shell still separated into sections, held together by wispy black clouds which moved like flames within the shell, and his eyes were still the terrifying blue sitting in the black abyss of his body.

"So you're the monster that took Rael. I'll have fun DISPATCHING YOU!" Olsen roared, drawing has dagger and charging hard. Despite his large size, Clang moved with eerie speed, seeming to blur with a trail of his form following his movements fading away once he had stopped over him and drove another claw hard into the sand only to miss as Olsen disappeared. Matthew took advantage of the confusion and jumped into the air, swinging his Zard down onto one of the exposed sections. With a quick leap, Clang avoided the attack and countered him, swinging his claw at Matthew who braced for the impact only to be sent skidding backwards through the hot sand. Clang looked from left to right, and then turned around trying to find Olsen who reappeared on top of his shell with a pink ghost surrounding his fist. Before he had a chance to make contact, Clang swiped his claw up and hit Olsen sending him flying only land on his feet and run at Clang again with wings appearing on his feet and threw a couple stars at him then drew his Bazlud. Matthew pulled his feet from the hot sand and changed after Olsen, holding his sword to the sky while a small stream of mana shot into the sky, followed by the blade being surrounded in light. With a growl, Matthew sent the Solar Scythe whistling towards him. Clang easily blocked the fire ball stars, by covering his face, but was taken off guard as Olsen buried his daggers in the top of his shell, making a crack appear in it. With a blur of movement Clang smacked him away, making Olsen trip and tumble the sand as he tried to regain his footing. However he was taken by surprise as the Solar Scythe howled towards him, making him tuck his legs in a roll out of the way, the crescent cutting clean through a rock that was behind him. Once Olsen had recoveredhe looked up, his eyes glowing a hot pink with the same color flame engulfing his Avarice as he wiped the blood from his lip.

"So… your shell is your weak point." Olsen growled, flicking his wrist and pulling stars into his hand with the flame engulfing them.

"Let's just see how strong it really is. Matt! Go for the shell! YAH!" he threw the stars so hard, the air around them rippled like water as they flew while the sand became smooth from the wind that blew in the wake of the stars. Clang tried to block the stars, only to roar in pain as his claw exploded, spewing black blood over the sand. Matthew took advantage of the momentary lull, sheathed the Zard and drew the Traus, jumping into the air and driving the point of the sword through Clang's shell. Olsen followed quickly, sending a rooster tail of sand into the air as he shot forwards, disappearing momentarily, and reappearing on top of him, grabbing the daggers still in his shell when he had been knocked off, then reappearing again in front of Clang. Matthew pulled the sword from the shell and leapt down under him, driving the sword through his underbelly while Olsen folded his hands, holding his index fingers up. Clang roared in pain and raised his remaining claw into the air to strike Olsen when threads of blue shot out of Olsen to four points around Clang. The fairy he had made a pact with then used that mana as a catalyst to send Olsen its power making four dark violet blurs appeared in the air, striking Clang in four different directions and toppling him to the side, Matthew jumping back as he toppled. Clang growled as he righted himself, and then quickly stuck the stump of his arm into the water which regenerated his missing claw. It wasn't completely the same since it looked slightly deformed, but it was reformed enough that he was able to use it as a hammer as he raised it into the air.

"Do you think that I am so easily injured?" Clang asked in an ethereal voice.

"You can talk?!" Olsen exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Yes, I can. The people of this Island called me their god for so long; I almost let them blind me to it. But then a man dressed in black came and showed me what it really means to be a god. The power over the people that I gained was nothing but magnificent! And when the people didn't meet my demands, I took a person as a sacrifice. Since those four fools didn't leave the island like I demanded, I took the first one I could reach, and I must say that she was rather tasty. She was so naive in thinking that a mere fruit offering would appease me." Olsen couldn't believe what he heard; all his efforts were for nothing and he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to Valen to bring back his sister to him. He could already hear the sadness in their voices when he told them that he couldn't bring back their sister. He gritted his teeth hard as a pink flame slowly wavered into existence making small grains of sand float into the air while he stood, his hair losing all traces of blond while Matthew drew his Zard and charged forwards, swinging up to the belly of the beast.

"MATTHEW STOP!" Olsen growled. Matthew quickly tucked his arms in and rolled under the beast, sweat drenching his pants and steaming from his armor. However it left him wide open for Clang to swing his good claw hard, making Matthew sail into the sky and land in the forest of palms as a cloud of dust and sand rose into the air.

"MATT!" Olsen called, suddenly having to jump back as Clang's claws came crashing down on him.

"You humans are all the same; nothing but weak bags of flesh." Olsen looked down to the ground and gritted his teeth, the muscles in his jaw visibly tensing.

"Valen didn't ask to have his sister taken away from him." Olsen's hair began to float from the hazy pink flames surrounding his body.

"He just wanted to live in peace with his three sisters. Matthew is not weak; in fact he's the strongest person I know." Hot pink flames suddenly flared around his Aravice, thundering as though it were a raging wild fire in the forest.

" If nothing else, I will make YOU PAY!" swinging his hand, two stars left his claw, sounding like cannon fire as they left, grazing Clang's shell and making it crack along the side. Clang became desperate, curling his tail up and over his body only to have it dive into the sand with Olsen disappearing and reappearing behind him. The blade of his dagger hummed with the power of the Pink Quartz, buzzing each time it moved while a faint orange glow followed its movements. Clang turned around and swept his claw where Olsen stood as he turned only making the sand smooth from his sweep, revealing that Olsen was standing on his claw. Clang brought down his other claw on his first, only to smash his own claw while his right arm was cut off, spewing black blood onto the sand and a little onto Olsen's face. The next few moments went by in a blur as Clang and Olsen exchanged blows so quickly, the two of them looking like a hurricane. Clang drove his good claw forwards as Olsen came changing in, throwing a star at Clang's face and swung his dagger hard into his side. As they passed each other, a metallic sound rang in the air as if it were a high pitched bell, echoing off the waters and ringing through the beaches. Olsen and Clang stood back to back from each other; cuts on Olsen's face and leg split and spurted into existence making him fall to one knee while Clang laughed slightly, his shell having thousands of cracks appear all over.

"Heh, you did good kid." Clang murmured as his shell cracked, the aura of his body beginning to dissipate until finally the shell slowly blew away into dust pieces, falling to the ground in a low thud while the sand began to lose the heat it once had. But even though he had won, it felt to Olsen like a loss. Matthew finally came back to the sands, his face and hands slightly red from the over exposure to the heat and walked over to Olsen, placing his warm gauntlet on Olsen's shoulder.

"At least now he can't be a terror to anyone any longer." Matthew said trying to be of some comfort.

"Clang ate Rael, Matt. And I just destroyed him. How do you think I should feel about that?" Olsen asked sadly. He had been inspired by Jenny's tenacity when they had rescued Heidren from the Black Mage's castle, but now he understood her ferocious sorrow: so much energy and time was used, and yet it wasn't enough to save one life.

"Black Mage, You've taken away so much life! When will it all end?!" Olsen shouted to the wind, gritting his teeth while small tears trickled down from his eyes hitting the sand and turning it a grey color. Matthew shook Olsen's shoulder and pointed to the deteriorating body of Clang and heard something hit the ground. Olsen froze: was it just the last piece of Clang's shell. Or was it…

"_No, it can't be."_ Slowly Olsen stood and his eyes went wide with surprise.

* * *

"Valen you've gotta just trust in them. They're the Guardians remember?"

"Yes, I know Roel. But I can't help but wonder if they really just took off and didn't want to help."

"Valen, I don't think they're those kind of boys. They're two of the five promised heroes to stop the Black Mage. I think that they have been… Valen Look!" Riel exclaimed, looking to the east seeing Olsen and Matthew supporting their dark haired sister between them as they walked. The three of them ran to them as Olsen's strength left him, making him fall to his knees as they came over, leaving Matthew to try and keep Rael from hitting the ground. Valen and the others all let their tears of happiness flow, thanking Olsen and Matthew over and over again. Olsen tried as best he could to return their thanks, but he felt exhausted since he hadn't used all his mana in a very long time or had used the power of the Pink Quartz to that level before. It wasn't long before Joel lowered the ship down enough so Matthew could haul Olsen up once he had climbed on deck to head back to Herb town where everyone was waiting for the report on their journey. However on their way back, Olsen's cheek began to burn from the blood of Clang dripping into the hairline cut on his cheek making his head began to feel light and his body to feel warm.

* * *

"So it would seem that the Guardian Ninja has awakened the power within him. All that remains now is to train the power into something far more powerful." Eleanor said happily as she handed The Mage a glass of her special potion. Questioning whispers from The Mage hovering in the air a moment before swallowing a mouthful of potion.

"The search following Horn Tail's sighting was just a stray diamond ore from when Ossyria was still new. The next location that they are looking into is the area around the Time Gate where Nexus resides." The Black Mage nodded his approval, swirling the potion as though it were a fine blue wine.

"However it seems that our friend the Ninja isn't feeling so good." Eleanor pointed out, leaning down and looking into the picture that still hovered before them of Olsen collapsing to the ground, hid face and hand flushed bright red. The Mage narrowed his eyes, setting down the goblet on the arm of his throne, touching the tips of his fingers together when a commanding whisper hung in the air.

"You want to send Eldan Giant? Why are you helping them?" The Mage turned a hard gaze to her, holding out his hand making her claw at her throat to try and dispel the invisible hand around her neck as she was lifted into the air, cold growling whispers surrounding her before opening his hand and tossing Eleanor to the ground and leaving for his laboratory

"_Was it my imagination of him talking so kind to me a few days ago?_" she asked herself, thinking back to when she had come back to the castle with all her clothes torn after failing to kill the Empress a second time, the first being when she had gone to Ereve; but such was the mystery of the Black Mage. There were just some things that weren't meant to be understood.


	10. Chapter 9: King Sage: Friend or Foe?

Chapter 9: King Sage: Friend or Foe?

Olsen ran and ran, trying to find some comfort from the feverish hell that he had been thrown into. Everything he saw was eradicated; everywhere he looked, things were either on fire or smoldering piles of burning wood from the attack that had completely wiped out the encampment. Time and time again he called out for his friends, the other guardians, but none of them answered. On and on he searched, but with no result until he tripped over something and fell face first into the slimy ash that covered the ground.

"Matthew, Helen, Jack… Jenny. WHERE ARE YOU GUYS!" he shouted to the sky until he looked up to see Jenny's arm loosely holding her bow, the sinews broken and burning amidst the flames.

"Jenny!" he exclaimed, running over to her and holding her up, wrapping his cloak around them to shield against the flames. Olsen was surprised when May came up to him with a bow in hand.

"Jenny. Jenny, wake up!" he pleaded as he held her close until her eyes fluttered open.

"Olsen, you're alright, thank goodness." Olsen suddenly felt something on his hand and held it up in the orange light of the flames, seeing that his hand was completely covered in blood. He looked down to see that a branch had driven itself through the side of her gut, possibly from a blast like he had been through.

"We've got to get you out of here and to somewhere safe, you're bleeding."

"Olsen, where would we go? Everywhere you turn we would be hunted down by the Manon, or would be surrounded by grizzlies. There's no escape for us."

"Don't say that. We'll get outta here, just stay with me." Behind the line of Manon a dark figure riding a fierce red dragon hovered above them, with chains for reins and cloak that closely resembled the Black Mage. May turned to the figure and then picked an arrow out of Jenny's quiver, pulling it tight against the sinews.

"May, go! There's nothing that you can do at this point. I couldn't even do anything." Jenny strained to sit up, but was stopped when as a wave of pain shot through her.

"Jenny, you told me once that I could do what you do. Well I have to, and I will do it!" she let the arrow go which fell short of its intended target, the dark Dragon Rider

"May, just go. You'll be killed if you stay here!" Olsen shouted as the figure then held up his hand and waved it forward, commanding the Manon to strike down the three within the midst of the flames. Olsen pulled May down under his cloak and braced himself against the wall of flames that rushed to them, but instead, something else blocked the flames, making Olsen slowly look up to what it was that had taken the blow. Before him was a massive black dragon, armed in gold plated armor while a young man rode atop the dragon with a glowing blue wand in hand.

"Leave him to me… He's my enemy and mine alone."

Two days previous.

It had been a week since Olsen had taken on the giant crab King Clang, but his condition had worsened since that day as he exuded flu-like symptoms. Mr. Do did the best he could with the medicinal herbs he had on hand, but no matter what he and his friend Tae Sang did, they couldn't bring his fever down. Even the specially trained doctors from the Omega Sector at the bottom of Ludibrum couldn't find any sign that would enlighten them to what was wrong.

"I remember hearing about something like this happening in Florina before." Chief Tatamo said as he hobbled into the room where Jenny, Mr. Do and Dark Lord all stood around Olsen who had become bed ridden, sweating in torrents and yet still feeling cold.

"What was it?" Jenny asked, reaching for Olsen's hand, gently squeezing it.

"It has something to do with King Clang's blood. This was before Grendal left for your world, but apparently King Clang's blood has a virus within it that survives off of body heat. Since the body naturally becomes warmer when it catches a virus, the virus becomes even more potent. To compensate, the body will become warmer, only fueling the virus further. The cycle will only continue until the host is dead."

"Is there any way to stop that from happening to Olsen?" asked Mr. Do from the stool that he sat on at Olsen's bedside. Jenny placed a cool towel on Olsen's forehead after dipping it again into a bowl of cool water.

"There is." Answered Grendal as he entered and hovered over to Olsen, holding his hand above his chest.

"The only thing that will cure this virus is an All Cure. Tatamo and I were too late in saving that young man's life who had caught it before, but we did find that the All Cure was what cured the virus after drawing a bit of his blood. Tae Sang can make one, but we need something very rare in order to make it."

"What is it? I'll go and retrieve it myself." Jenny exclaimed, standing and dawning her bow and arrows.

"It is a vial of blood from Zakuhm before he was turned into Minerva's stone guardian."

"Do you mean; it's impossible to make?" Jenny asked, her hopes slowly fading into the wind.

"Unfortunately, yes. Before Zakuhm was transformed, there were hundreds of All Cures that existed in Ossyria, but since the rise of the Black Mage, all of those cures have since been destroyed or have gone missing. For now however, this will help." From his garb, Grendal produced a small bottle of a thick orange liquid, no bigger than a thimble. Carefully, he poured it into Olsen's mouth, which for a moment made him glow a warm orange color, quickly bringing his fever down 3 degrees.

"The health potions you knew in the game restored your health with different potencies, however here these potions restore a different aspect of your body: The Red Herb potion helps in recovering from blood loss. The Orange Peel potion will help in recovering energy and boosts the immune system. The Snow potion will help speed up injury recovery. However just like the Mana Elixirs, if you use them too frequently, your body will become dependent on them and won't restore itself."

"Ok that's good to know Gramps, but how do we get a hold of this blood of Zakuhm?" Helen stated, walking into the house as she secured the clasp of her mantle.

"There used to be a vile of it in Zakuhm's sanctuary, but like the Dark Crystal, it too disappeared. However there is one that might know where to get something that would be equivalent to the blood."

"I hope you don't mean _him_ Grendal." Dark Lord asked as he removed the scarf from around his face. Jenny and Helen looked back and forth trying to figure out if there was joke that they had both missed.

"Yes, unfortunately I do: The King Sage. He would be the only one who would know of something that would be an equivalent. However, he is a cutthroat merchant, selling information only if a person is able to meet his price which is often steep." Jenny looked back at Olsen as he lay peacefully asleep since his fever had dropped slightly. All the years that she had known Olsen came rushing through her mind, even the treasured moments that she had finally told him how she felt about him, which helped her in deciding that she would find a way to save his life: he was far too important to her now.

"Fine; let's go see this, King Sage. I'll beat the information out of him if I have to." she said as she pulled her mantle over her shoulders, making a dark green glow flare around her as she walked out onto the many docks that crisscrossed Herb Town leading back to shore. Grendal, Helen, May, Gregory and Athena all went with her since she seemed to be thinking at the moment with her emotions and not with her head while Matthew and Jack stayed behind to guard the town: Matthew's face was covered in aloe to calm the burning on his face and hands. Greg and May insisted that they come along since they were tired of being left in the dark about their daughter Helen's outings. They would rather know what it was that she was getting into rather than be left in town wondering whether or not Helen would be coming back to them alive. Once they had reached the shore, the small group strolled through Tae Sang's peach farm which was on the side of a mountain, leading up to the shrouded and foggy Goblin Forest. Hours passed with Athena at the lead as they climbed up the mountain, ropes and ladders, crossing rope bridges with gorges hundreds of feet deep. Many times they group would have to wait for Greg and May as the height of the mountain and the thin mountain air was starting to get to them, making them increasingly wary of their footing, as well as have a greater respect for their daughter who faced things like this all the time. Soon their way began to become obscured as the fog became thicker until Jenny in one swing of her bow blew the fog away for a while until she would have to swing again. However it wasn't long until that was no longer working, rather making things worse. Helen then stepped to the front, using her now more powerful ice powers to freeze giant sections of fog into ice crystals which fell into the gorge below. However with one throw of her powers, something else was caught in the ice. As soon as the ice melted around the creature, it turned to them seeming to bounce slightly with an old book attached to its body. A bright light shone on its forehead, followed by thousands of the same lights appearing in the fog.

"Helen, Jenny. Don't attack anything, you won't be able to vanquish these ghosts, they are far too strong for you. Athena! Make us a hole!" Grendal called as Athena drew her bow, a blue dragon's head appearing around the arrow, and then roared as the arrow was released through the pack of ghosts making books drop to the ground and pages fly into the air

"Greg, May. Stay right behind us. If you fall behind I want you to shout and let us know." Helen said as she grabbed both of their hands and began running after Athena with Jenny close behind and Grendal bringing up the rear, blasting the ghosts with bursts of flames and bolts of lightning that split the air with a thunderous roar while Athena shot holes through the ghost's ranks with her powerful Dragon Arrow. However because of the thick fog, the group soon found themselves trapped within a cave with the Ghosts of History closing off their exit and closing in. Athena and Grendal did their best to keep them at bay, but despite using their most powerful spells and abilities the ghosts pushed them further back within the cave. Soon though, Grendal and Athena began to become fatigued as their mana began to run low letting a few ghosts almost get by them.

"Helen! Don't let these ghosts touch you. They have access to all the history of Ossyria as a collective. If they touch you, that part that was touched will age so quickly that it will turn to dust!" shouted Grendal as he waved his hands and staff to try and keep the ever increasing mob from coming any closer and taking out the ghosts that had gotten past. Jenny began to become worried; she had started out on this journey to save Olsen's life, and now she was about to lose her own when a young woman's voice echoed in her head.

"_Trust in the power of the Emerald Crystal my child."_ Jenny watched as her mom and Grendal became slower and slower from their mana reserves vanishing right before their eyes. Taking a breath, Jenny gripped her bow while the composite bent under her grip as she stood, slowly drawing the bow making a radiating green arrow spark into existence. Her bow glowed with a lime colored light taking on a tribal design while a whirl wind wrapped around the arrow.

"Helen! Throw your fire at that arrow, GUYS GET DOWN!" Grendal and Athena looked back as Helen threw a small fireball at the Spine Arrow igniting it into a green inferno. Athena and Grendal fell to the ground covering their faces as Jenny let the arrow go which then released a firestorm that filled the entirety of the cave beyond Grendal and Athena, obliterating the ghosts, glassing the rock of the cave, and leveling the trees that stood before the entrance of the cave. Once the flames died down, it left the rocks smoldering orange with the stumps of trees smoking while a thick cloud of ashen pages fell all around the cave entrance in an eerie silence. May and Gregory could only stare in wide eyed amazement and slight pang of fear. Both of these girls together had just unleashed a huge blaze as though it were nothing without thinking of the complications that would come as a result. Athena and Grendal picked their heads up from the ground and looked around at the devastation that they had created with just the releasing of one arrow.

"Be sure and give us a little more warning before pulling a stunt like that again." Grendal smiled, only to be pushed out of the way as Jenny walked past him to the entrance of the cave, waiting impatiently for the other to follow her. Above the cave the figure's eyes smiled. He had found what he had been searching for, and he would make sure this time that they would not survive. The Black Mage had nothing on him, and he would show him that he was more worthy to rule the world.

_"Evan, you won't stop me this time._" he thought, disappearing into the fog.

"Are you guys ok?" Helen asked as she knelt down beside them and began healing their small wounds.

"We can't wait here; Olsen is running out of time." Jenny ordered as she bounced her foot on the rock outside. Quietly they filed out of the cave, feeling that one wrong comment would tip the balance against them. Time and time again Helen tried to break the odd silence that hung in the air around Jenny, but it seemed that no matter what she was going to try to say, it was all going to be something that would seem insensitive to the fact that she wanted to lose Olsen. Before long, soft cries from within the fog began to rise with cats dressed as scholars melting out of the fog on either side of them, two cats grabbing an arm of each person and leading them to a large palace entrance carved into the face of a cliff reaching high into the sky.

"Well, well, well… I was expecting you to reach here sooner, especially with the condition of your friend." Said a voice, almost having a cat-like property to it. A large shadow loomed just outside of the dull light that managed to break through the fog that was fading fast as the sun set in the east.

"If you know that much then you must already know why we are here." Jenny snarled as she pulled free of the cats holding her arms.

"Yes, yes. All in good time." The figure said as it floated out into the light, revealing an enormously fat man sitting atop a cloud. Around his waist was a tiger skin with the tail hanging behind him while a fine red cloak hung over his shoulders and a steel fan covered his face. His hair was matted down but because of the two cats on either side of fanning him, his hair pushed up slightly making it appear that he had cat's ears. Once he had come out into the light he closed the fan with a snap, put it down in his lap and put the tips of his fat, paw-like hands together.

"Before that, let up discuss the price of the information that you seek." Jenny sneered, reaching for her bow and pulling an arrow to the ready while a bit of mana gathered at tip.

"How about I put one in your head?" Jenny asked, pulling the bow further back. The Sage frowned, flicking his hand and sending Jenny backwards head over heels.

"I will not tolerate such rude behavior! Do you know how you are even talking to?" Jenny rocked her neck side to side and then drew the arrow again.

"I know that if you don't tell me what I need to know, my… my boyfriend is going to die!"

"Still, even though someone you care about is at the verge of dying, I must say that I still require a price for this information. I think… nine hundred pages will be fair." Grendal's and Athena's face both fell at the mention of the price as the sage looked down on the group with squinted eyes and then caught sight of Helen's cloak.

"I-i-i-is that the Ebony Gaia Mantle of Shadows?!" exclaimed the sage, pointing a fat a stubby finger at Helen.

"Yes, it is King." Helen replied. The sage became excited, jumping around in his chair and swinging his arms around in circles while making a high pitched squeal.

"I have been searching for that Mantle since I first became a mage! If you give me that, I will give you all the information that you want! I must have that mantle!" Helen looked up into the Sage's eyes with a look of hostility in her eyes as she remembered back to what Aran had told her about it.

_"… the ancient writing on the hem of this mantle holds a powerful spell to use against any foe: decipher the writing and you will be able to wield such power._" Helen pulled free of the guards and walked up to the sage with purpose.

"Helen No!" Jenny called out.

"Is the reason that you want this mantle so badly, because of the spell written on the hem?" Helen asked once she had come to where the Sage stood.

"W-w-why would you ask something like that? I just want the mantle because of its properties." The Sage laughed, seeming to be absorbed into getting his cubby hands on it.

"_He's lying through his teeth. _No, I'd rather pay you nine hundred pages then give this to you." She said as she turned around and began walking back to the others. The motion made the bottom hem of the cloak flutter up enough for the Sage to reach out and grab the mantle.

"I must have it!" Helen looked back to the sage with fire in her eyes, holding her hand out and gathering violet colored mana flame into her hand, letting it strike the Sage on the hand and making him release his grip on it. The sage reeled back and rubbed his burnt hand, staring wide eyed at Helen as she remained still for a moment, just looking him in the eye as though she were looking through him.

"Y-y-you, are th-th-the Guardian Mage?!" the sage squeaked. Helen turned around once more and set the end of her Hall on the ground with a sharp sound.

"Yes, I, am! And she is the Guardian Archer. Trust me, even though we may be well undertrained, we could still reduce you to ashes if we wanted to." Jenny drew an arrow again, radiating and humming with power from the crystal at the end. The Sage turned back to Helen and flinched as the top of her staff flared with violet mana, smoldering at the center of the ring. The sage then carefully rethought his position in asking so much from these kids. Yes he was right in asking for such a price for information like that, but on the other hand, the archer was driven by emotion at the moment. There was no greater furry when it was fueled by the pain of a hurting loved one.

"Alright! There is one thing that will serve as a substitute for the blood of Zakuhm, just don't hurt me!" Jenny lowered her bow and Helen calmed her spell, allowing the sage to continue.

"Around the Lyth Bay area is a meadow where Mano, the oldest snail in Ossyria, loves to come and sit in the sun. If you can convince him to give up a piece of his shell, you can grind that up and it will serve as a substitute." Jenny walked up beside Helen and used the end of her bow to turn the head of the sage to her.

"Are you telling the truth?" she asked with a growl.

"Yes! Yes, that's the truth! Grendal there would know what else that you need to make an All Cure!" Jenny pulled her bow away and took a step away from him, sharply looking back to him.

"If I find that you lied, I will come here myself and kill you!" A green flame flared around her body for a moment as if to solidify her threat against him.

"We're going back to town and getting on the first ship ready to Victoria." Jenny huffed as she led the way back down the mountain, disappearing into the fog. The sage wiped the sweat from his forehead and shivered slightly, letting the thought of being killed by a mere child sink in.

"So tell me, King Sage. Do you fear them that much? You who has called yourself the King Sage, and yet you are afraid of a mere child?" the Sage looked around to find the source of the voice, seeing a pair of lilac glowing eyes in the fog. The sage squinted his eyes for a moment to better see through the fog, and then smiled.

"You? What do you want from me?"

"I seek only information. Where is the village where they are hiding in?"

* * *

The Black Mage growled: That young boy had been a thorn on his side ever since the re-gathering of the Black Wings. When would he learn that there was no one more powerful then himself? If anything, he knew nothing of what he had in mind, and the Black Mage would ensure that those plans were seen through to the end. Eleanor came walking up behind the Mage and put her arms around his chest.

"Is something bothering you?" The Mage turned his head to her for a moment, returning to the picture before him that showed someone in a black cloak, similar to that of The Mage, speaking to the King Sage.

"It is amusing to think that he thinks he could overpower you." Eleanor laughed slightly and came around to the front.

"If you would like, I could go out and deal with him myself and rid the world of this little, annoyance of yours." The Mage only shook his head, holding up his hand as a picture of their friend Mr. Giant waddling down a path.

"He is slowly making his way to Victoria as we speak. If all goes as planned, they should meet in Lyth Bay just as they are finishing with Mano." The Mage nodded his head in response to her as questioning whispers surrounded her for a moment as he dispelled the picture.

"Yes, I did put the weakening spell on him. They should be able to release Mr. Giant from his stony seal and let the gentleman in him shine out." The Mage's eyes smiled as he bent down and kissed the top of Eleanor's head, turning back to look out over the ocean from his fortress.

"_You will be made to understand what it is to wield power. Fate shall be your teacher, dragon rider._" Eleanor thought, turning from the Mage and disappearing in a cloud of black mana to her own room of research.

* * *

Jenny stood alone in the wind at the bow of the ship looking up at the stars, thinking what her life would be like without Olsen in it, thinking back to an incident that happened when they had first met as kids:

_Jenny had wondered off in the mall away from her mother, thinking since her mom always called her a big girl that she could go off on her own. Little did she know how big the mall really was and soon she was lost, searching up and down the racks of clothes and still not being able to find her mother's familiar green eyes and comforting arms. Being lost was such a frightening thing, making her crawl under a rack of clothes and just cry, wishing that her mother would just come up and find her right where she was. Suddenly a boy with golden hair knelt down and asked her what was wrong._

_"I'm lost, I can't find my mommy." She cried, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes. The boy held out his hand to her, telling her that he knew of a place where her mommy would be able to find her just like that, snapping his fingers. Something in Jenny's mind told her that she could trust him and took his hand, letting herself be led to the service counter where the boy asked her name, and then told the man behind the counter the situation who then called for her mother over the loud speaker._

_"You'll be alright. Your mom will be here shortly." He said as he turned to leave with a stern looking man waiting for him. Jenny grabbed his hand and held on with all the strength her tiny hands._

_"Don't go. Wait with me for my mommy." The boy sighed and then nodded to the man who nodded back and walked over to them, waiting with them._

_"My name's Olsen." The boy said while they waited. Just as Olsen said, her mother came right to them; hugging Jenny tightly and then walking hand in hand back into mall._

"_Olsen; I think it was that very moment that I began to love you."_ she thought as she looked out over the star filled sky. May came up behind her, not really sure what to say until Jenny laughed and turned back to her.

"It's ok. I'm not gonna turn you into ash." May laughed as well and walked up to her.

"Tell me something Jenny. Aren't you ever afraid of these things that you encounter?" Jenny nodded.

"There are times when I am scared out of my mind."

"So why don't you just let your parents who seem like they are hundreds of times stronger do the job?"

"Because we may be weaker, but they no longer carry the power to defeat the Black Mage. We do: we may be scared, but we have an entire world counting on us to stop him. So we have to press on despite our fear."

"That seems like such a heavy weight. I know I couldn't do it." Jenny looked back at her and smirked as the sky began to change into reds and pinks with the rising of the sun just over the horizon.

"I bet you could if you had to. Here, I'll show you how to use a bow. It's easy." May at first refused, but after many an insistence from Jenny, she took the bow and borrowed her Aqua Brace gloves, letting Jenny "mold" her into perfect form while she performed multiple draws and releases on the Vaulter. Athena was just coming up the stairs to tell Jenny that they were about to descend when she caught sight of Jenny with May, teaching her the very basics of using a bow. Athena could only smile as she watched them: She would make a fine master archer one day; she was already able to teach another how to use a bow. She decided against telling them and walked back down the stairs into the hold while the two of them were left on the deck where they stayed until they landed in Lyth. Weaving their way around thickets and brambles wasn't easy, all the while noticing that some of the trees would have something that looked to be a small rubies or sapphires clinging to the trees. Greg walked up closer to see that they weren't jewels, but rather brightly colored snails. He reached out to pick one off the tree when Grendal slapped his hand.

"Don't touch them. Their shells produce a potent poison that could kill you if stayed on your skin too long." Still they searched through the thickets, catching more stickers and foxtails in their clothes then ever which made the journey to the Shore or Thorns, where Joel had told them Mano had made his home, almost unbearable. The group soon came to a wall of vines and ivy that was near impossible to get through.

"It's useless. We'll try to see if there's a way around."Greg sighed.

"I don't have time for this!" Jenny growled, gritting her teeth and took a step back, loading an arrow and compressing a huge amount of emerald power at the tip. Athena quickly grabbed May allowing Helen to cover them with her cloak. It wasn't as impervious as Matthew's, but it would at least guard them against the stiff vines. Grendal quickly grabbed Gregory and put up a barrier as Jenny let the arrow go, blasting a hole through the vines as if a cake of C4 explosives had gone off.

"Jenny! You can't be so impulsive!" Athena scolded, grabbing Jenny hard by the shoulder. Jenny roughly pulled away and faced her.

"YOU DON'T GET IT! Olsen is suffering from a virus that will kill him we don't get an all cure to him, and you're telling _ME_ to calm down!?" Grendal came up to her, looking at her hard with a blazing light in his usually kind blue eyes.

"Jenny. I understand your pain, but if you continue this way, putting the life of your loved one above anyone else, then you _will fail_ in your duty to Ossyria!" Jenny suddenly realized how reckless she had been and bowed her head, letting her bow drop to the ground.

"Mr. Do began working on more Orange Peel potions as we were leaving. He knows how much to use and how much can be used before his body becomes dependant on it. Olsen will be fine, I promise." Grendal assured her, which made Jenny completely stop and rethink her approach to saving Olsen until everyone was drawn to May's awe as she peered through the hole made by the arrow. As they stepped through, before them was a sanctuary of sorts, with hundreds of shrubs and snails crawling on the leaves while small drops of dew dropped to the ground. The whole of the group felt tranquility wash over them, making even Jenny become calm and relaxed.

"Well, you sure are a bunch that's in a hurry. Blowing a hole through my house and then coming in without my invitation is such… Oh! Masters of Ossyria! My apologies! I didn't know it was you."

"It's alright old friend. But we did come here to ask you for something." Grendal smiled.

"Of course! Anything to help the Masters of Ossyria!" Mano said as he glided before them. His mustache drug on the ground slightly while his shell shone in the sunlight making rainbows come to life all around him. However he was smaller than Jenny or Helen imagined him; the top of his shell came just below their shoulder, but the moss and lichens that grew on his shell brought his height to about ear level.

"We have a dear friend of ours that has come down with the Burning Virus. Zakhum's blood has all gone, and the only other thing that will serve as a replacement is a piece of your shell." Mano nodded as he came further forward and looked to Jenny and Helen.

"And who are these two young women with you?" he asked.

"This is Jenny, The Guardian Archer, and Helen, the Guardian Mage." Mano's eyes lit up with a joyous light as he smiled massively.

"I never thought I would live to see the day that the Guardians would arrive! So, is it one of you who have had the unfortunate turn of catching this virus?" Mano asked, looking to one and then the other.

"No Mano. It's my… it's my boyfriend Olsen, the Guardian Ninja. Please Mano, I don't want to lose him." Mano nodded and smiled.

"Of course young lady: There is no greater purpose than to stand a short period of pain to save a loved one." Athena produced a small knife she had brought with her, picking a spot that was closest to the edge of his shell, and quickly cutting a palm sized piece out of it as Mano flinched.

"I'm sorry Mano." Jenny said as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"That's quite alright Jenny. However, you will need another piece to your puzzle if you are going to make an effective All Cure. You need the Fairy's Tears to complete it; otherwise the Cure will be useless."

"Where can we find that?" Athena asked. Mano shook his head.

"I don't know. There used to be a great potion maker by the name of Mr. Giant that lived around Leafre. But since the rise of the Black Mage he has disappeared. But if you can find him, I'm sure that you would be able to get it from him." The words echoed in all their minds as they left, repairing the damages they had done, and then returning to Lyth Bay. Yet another lead turned to a dead end.

* * *

"Well, it seems the rumors are true Sage. You really are a cut throat merchant, even to the fact that you would let a poor boy die because you want a few hundred more coins." Eleanor smoothly said as she entered the Sage's Palace.

"Well, I do my best. What can I offer you? Or rather, what can you offer me?" the sage replied sinisterly.

"Oh please, you don't make a very threatening villain. I want to know if you know anything about the remaining husks."

"Those? Hmmm, I might. But I require a chest before I can give you that kind of information." Eleanor looked up at him from under her hood with an annoyed light in her eyes before producing a small chest filled with gold bars and placing it on the floor.

"Yes, this will do nicely. My guard cats sometimes have seen something that had certain radiances to it near the northern most shore of the Mu Lung Province."

"You do know that in giving me this information you might as well have signed your own death warrant?" the Sage smiled as the glass of wine in his hand swished and swayed while he spread his arms.

"I am a trafficker of information and rare items. I get what I can where I can. As long as it makes me rich, I care not for the purpose it is used."

* * *

Slowly the saddened group made their way back to Lyth, Jenny especially feeling the heavy weight of what they needed to find weighing on her heart.

"Don't worry; I'm sure that we'll find it somewhere." Encouraged Gregory who only half believed what he was saying. Jenny nodded and forced a smile; inside though, she felt like breaking down and crying in defeat. She was about to begin speaking when something fell from the sky, the wind whistling around it as it fell. Helen grabbed Jenny and teleported her out of the way just in time before the thing hit, making a crater through the thick cobblestone streets. Athena and Grendal had managed to move May and Greg out of the way and prepared to fight. The thing pulled its legs free, completely ignoring the fact that Athena and Grendal were at the ready, and began walking for Jenny and Helen who lay on the ground as though they had been knocked over. The thing then picked up its heavy arms, but was thrown back by Jenny's bomb arrow into a building. Helen then stood, teleporting in short bursts to the thing while swinging her staff as hard as she could, casting a horrendously strong Ice spell which made violet ice encase it just long enough for Jenny to release a humming, green spine arrow which further pushed the thing through the building. For a moment all was silent until the dust from the building was swept aside by a hurricane of wind as the thing swung one of its heavily muscular arms. Jenny quickly pulled Helen to her side and wrapped them in her cloak, making the wind completely go around them as if they were a solid pillar of stone. However just as Jenny pulled the cloak back, the thing rushed them and threw them against the ground with his hands around their necks and chest. Athena pulled her bow tight and let it go, with rings of blue flames bursting to life around the arrow as it went, only to bounce off the creature's shoulder. It then looked to Athena and opened its yellow eye to her, making another strong gust of wind hit first her, and then Grendal. Jenny struggled and stretched, reaching for her Silver Crow, only having the thing squeeze tighter around her neck. Lights began to pop and sparkle in her vision as she reached for crossbow until at last, she had it! Quickly she pulled it up and shoved the tip of it into the gut of the creature which made him look down to where it had pierced through his clothes.

"Take this you bastard!" she pulled the trigger while the arrow loaded into the bow broke through the rock of the thing's body and burst from his back in a blast of green flames, making him real back and hold the area where the soccer ball-sized hole was. Jenny got to her feet and began firing arrows which had an aqua flame fluttering around them as the arrows pierced the stony skin of this monster. Cracks began to appear everywhere an arrow hit, which was quickly making him look like a pin cushion, until an arrow struck him in the head and pushed him back to the ground, shaking as he fell. Grendal ran over to Helen who had passed out while the creature held them around the throat, quickly waking up thanks to Grendal's healing touch.

"Where's is that thing?" she asked sitting bolt upright.

"Don't worry about it, I took…" Jenny looked back and saw that the creature glowed with a golden light as it rose from the ground with the cracks around the arrows glowing the same color, the cracks spreading across its body until the rock exploded making the group cover their face to avoid the debris.

"Are you two Jenny and Helen?" a strong yet comforting voice asked. Helen lowered her arm to reveal a man dressed in a fine black suit, with grey hair and fine shades to cover his eyes.

"Y-yes." Helen replied nervously. The man walked to them and knelt on one knee, crossing an arm across his chest.

"I'm glad that I was able to find you. I believe this, the Fairy's Tears, is what you are looking for." The man reached into his jacket and produced a dark pink, gem-like bottle with a yellow glow around it.

"H-h-how did you know we needed that?" Jenny asked as she carefully took the bottle and stared at it.

"I had stopped by the King Sage's residence to ask if anyone had come seeking a way to cure the Burning Virus. He said that indeed you had and had gone to Mano to seek a piece of his shell, and so with that information I came here."

"Wait! If you just wanted to give us this then why in the world did you attack us?" Helen shouted as she stood, feeling lightheaded and being steadied by Gregory.

"I needed to attack you. If you weren't the ones in search of this, then there would have been no way that you would have cracked my stone shell. I'm sorry for the trouble that I caused you. Now hurry, if you don't leave now you'll be too late. Your friend won't last long without the All Cure." The group ran to the ship just as it descended, but Jenny stopped then ran back and hugged the man tightly while a few grateful tears fell from her eyes.

"Thank you mister." she whispered and then turned and ran for the ship just as the turbines rose and pushed the ship across the water and into the air. Mr. Giant sighed while his face became hardened as he touched a small radio in his ear.

"The potion has been delivered master." A hazy image of the Black Mage appeared before him, with eyes smiling, whispers hissing all around him, motioning to the side as a young woman with flowing black hair, a ruby crested hair band and white wings stepped into the picture.

"Hey giant! Long time no see! You look as good as ever." Mr. Giant stared for a while at the young woman before him. He had found her as just a baby, taking her in and raising her as his own daughter.

"Oberon, I see you've come back to pay your father a visit. We'll talk in detail as soon as I get back and settle things with the Mage."

"Eldan, you know that I don't think of you as my father anymore." She giggled while Giant rolled his eyes. In her late teenage years, he had told her the story of how he had found her and that she wasn't really her father. She took it rather in a completely unexpected way, suddenly treating him more so as her lover rather than a father. However Giant didn't mind, since the both of them were on the same side of helping the Mage conquer the world. The hazy image of Oberon and the Mage winked out as Giant looked up to the quickly shrinking ship that carried Jenny and her friends back to Herb Town.

"I'm sorry to have betrayed your trust, Lady Jenny." The group returned to Herb town quickly, which then Tae Sang quickly used the items they had retrieved as well as herbs and roots he had collected for just such a potion. Within minutes, Tae Sang had poured the last drop of the potion into a bottle and passed it to Jenny who rushed out the door.

"Normally it wouldn't be as potent. But since we don't have that kind of time, it will be just fine." Irena caught up to her riding on her personal mount, Shinjou and took her to herb town even faster with Shinsoo and Empress Cygnus close behind. When Jenny burst through the door, Olsen was writhing and drenched in sweat with his core temperature reaching a dangerous 107.5 degrees. Dr. Kim quickly opened the All Cure and pulled back on the syringe plunger, pulling the golden-orange liquid into the cylinder. Once he was sure that the air had been squeezed out, he connected it to an I.V. line stuck into his arm. Jenny knelt down beside his bed and gripped his hand, scared that she hadn't made it in time. The All Cure flowed into his veins, making them swell and glow a bluish brown color. Olsen arched his back in pain for a moment before falling silent on the bed, as still as a stone. Jenny looked up to the doctor who looked back and forth from Olsen to the monitors that constantly scanned his body.

"Come on Olsen, you've fought it off until now. Don't give up on me." Jenny pleaded. The next few moments passed with tension thick in the air, everyone held their breath in anticipation, waiting for something to happen. The machine beeped, signaling that his core temperature had fallen to 104 degrees and was slowly falling from there. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief while Jenny let her head fall to the bed and collapsed from exhaustion still holding onto Olsen's hand. Olsen opened his eyes slightly, and then looked over to Jenny as she slept, smiling and whispering:

"Thank you, Jenny."

* * *

The dark figure waited in the shadows, watching the people as they walked here and there, completely unaware of the army that stood just beyond the light of their torches. The figure looked around, and still Evan or the Cygnus Knights were nowhere to be seen or heard, nor was there any sign that they had been alerted to his presence.

"_This'll almost be too easy. With only the pirates, the Masters and their children to guard this place, I'll be able to rid the world of them and take over with just a wave of my hand._" The figure seemed to laugh, waiting just a bit longer before unleashing his troops. Behind him the Manon and Grizzlies he had gathered together were itching to charge into the camp and tear it apart. Slowly the Sage's cat guardians came to him carrying a message to the figure.

_If you would like, I would offer the assistance of my Cats to help you. I still would like to show that young mage who is really the one to fear. _The figure nodded, and pointed to different places among his troops where the cats went and stood at the ready to attack.

* * *

It had been six hours since the All Cure had been injected into Olsen, but because of the potency of the Cure, the virus had been completely wiped out from his body in a short amount of time. Mr. Do came in with a glass of water for him, putting a book of his potion recipes on a table.

"That Jenny is a stubborn one. I bet she would have found a cure even without the All Cure."

"I have no doubt about that." Olsen said, pulling the covers off of him and getting out of the bed to check on the cut in his cheek from fighting King Clang. Slowly and painfully his pulled the bandage off, revealing the many stitches holding the skin together.

"That was done by Dr. Kim. He did the best he could to patch it up. Even though he stitched it, it will still leave a nasty scar." Olsen smiled, and then flinched as the wound buzzed with pain.

"That's alright; it just means I'll have some character." Satisfied with his inspection of the wound, he then pulled on the Shadow armor and secured his Avarice, clipping the twin Bazluds to his belt. Just as he set his hat and secured his Gaia, something made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end which he had learned to trust to mean danger was close; really close. With a burst of speed, Olsen grabbed Mr. Do and Jenny, then ran out the door just as a giant fireball crashed into the hut and obliterated everything in it. Quickly Olsen dashed here and there, and then put Mr. Do in a safe place while patting Jenny's face to try and wake her from her sleep. Once she had, the two of them returned to village where hundreds of Manon and Grizzlies were shredding the town and killing anyone that came too close to them. A child and his mother had become trapped in a corner with a grizzly growling and stepping closer to the pleading mother while sharpening his claws. Olsen suddenly realized that the Bear was going to strike and put all he had into trying to get there as fast as he could. He swung his hand hurling stars at the bear's paw, but missing as the bear began his swing with the mother and Olsen screaming at the top of their lungs. But something landed just in front of the mother and child making his claws spark off of a golden wall.

"GO! GO!" Shouted Matthew as the two of them ran in the direction Matthew pointed while he tried to fight off the bear, but even using the Ruby crystal's power in tandem with his mana didn't grant him enough speed or power to get passed the bear's martial defenses. Even while using the Traus, he couldn't swing fast enough. But just as quick as he had come, Matthew disappeared to help other people who were trying to get out of the town and away from the burning buildings. A child in a house cried out for their mother; Olsen ran in and tried to wrap the child in his cloak, but the child refused, pulling on the hand of her mother who lay trapped under a heavy main beam of the house.

"Please! Just take my daughter and go!" she shouted above the flames.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Olsen growled back, taking his daggers from their sheaths and digging them into the beam, trying to lift it off of her. Try as he might, he just couldn't budge it: all the debris from the house had made it impossible to lift for him. The woman screamed just in time for Olsen to see a Manon flying in and unleashing a blast of flames. Grabbing the child he knelt down over the woman, allowing the Crimson Gaia to guard them from the flames. Once the Manon had passed, Olsen tried again to lift the heavy beam, just barely able to make it move. Jack appeared from nowhere and grabbed on, making the lifting easier, but still they couldn't lift it enough to get her out from under the beam. Jack growled as a red glow surrounded his arms and hands, allowing him to lift the beam by using his mana and Ruby crystal power to enhance his strength. But their lifting wasn't fast enough as the Manon circled around again and took a breath. The woman screamed again as she struggled to get free, Olsen and Jack shouted as they too tried to lift the beam just a bit more with the Manon bearing down on them until the dragon was suddenly thrown to the side as Lillianne cut the Dragon in two, leaping through the village and taking down one attacker after another with Aran and the Cygnus Knights on her tail. With the extra time, Jack and Olsen were able to free the mother which Jack escorted to safety. But just as Olsen was about to continue on, a fireball exploded next to him and flung him to the far side of the village which had already been destroyed, still burning with fervor. Slowly Olsen got to his feet, trying to fight back his pounding head and survey where he was. But since everywhere he could see had been burned to a black waste land, he had no idea where he was and began running through the streets trying to find someone. He ran and ran, trying to find some comfort from the feverish hell that he had been thrown into: why? Why would someone attack this village with peaceful people everywhere? Everything he saw was eradicated; everywhere he looked, things were either on fire or smoldering in piles of burnt wood and rubble from the attack that had completely wiped out the encampment. Time and time again he called out for his friends, the other guardians, but none of them answered. On and on he searched, but with no result until he tripped over something and fell face first into the slimy ash that covered the ground from throwing water onto the flames.

"Matthew, Helen, Jack… Jenny. WHERE ARE YOU GUYS!" he shouted to the sky until he looked forward to see Jenny's arm loosely holding her bow , the broken sinews burning amid the flames.

"Jenny!" he exclaimed, pushing off the small beams and debris, holding her up and wrapping his cloak around them to shield against the flames. Olsen was surprised when May came up to him with a bow in hand.

"Jenny. Jenny, wake up!" he pleaded as he held her close until her eyes fluttered open.

"Olsen, you're alright, thank goodness." Olsen suddenly felt something on his hand and held it up in the orange light of the flames, seeing that his hand was completely drenched in blood. He looked down to see that a branch had driven itself through the side of her gut, most likely happening from her getting caught up in a blast like he had.

"We got to get you out of here and to somewhere safe, you're bleeding."

"Olsen, where would we go? Everywhere you turn we are surrounded by Manon and Grizzlies. There's no escape for us."

"Don't say that. We'll get outta here, just stay with me." As he spoke, a line of Manon walked up to them as if being led by a general. Behind the line of Manon a dark figure riding a fierce red dragon hovered above them with chains for reins and a cloak that closely resembled the Black Mage while May turned to the figure and then picked up an arrow from Jenny's quiver, pulling it tight against the sinews.

"May, go. There's nothing that you can do at this point. Not even I could do anything." Jenny strained as a streak of pain washed over her.

"Jenny, you told me once that I could do what you do if I had to. Well I have to, and I will do it!" she let the arrow go which fell short of its target, the red dragon rider.

"May, just go. You'll be killed if you stay here!" The figure then held up his hand and waved it forward, commanding the Manon to strike down the three within the midst of the flames. Olsen pulled May down under his cloak and braced himself against the wall of flames that rushed to them, but instead, something else blocked the mass of flames, making Olsen slowly look up to what it was that had taken the blow. Before him was a massive black dragon, armed in gold plated armor while a young man rode atop the dragon with a glowing blue wand in hand.

"Leave him to me… He's my enemy, and my enemy alone." The figure narrowed her eyes while the black dragon rider patted the side of her dragon and charged forwards, obliterating the manon that stood in front of their leader. Once they had been eliminated, the red dragon rider flew after the other one, making flashes light appear in the sky as both the dragons and their riders launched powerful attacks at each other for a short while until a blast of flames lit the area up and put out the flames from a wave of wind that ripped through the sky, sending the red dragon and its rider streaking deep into the Minar Forest. Once their leader had gone, the grizzlies and manon scattered and left. Olsen squinted his eyes at the retreating forces and saw cats leaving with the others, and Olsen knew that there was one other that had at least some part to play in this unorthodox attack on a village of innocent people who lived in fear of the Black Mage, who now had to live in fear of another unknown figure. Quickly the black dragon rider came back to them and offered a ride back to where they could find some help for Jenny. Once Olsen was sure that Jenny would be taken care of in the village, Olsen found Helen, telling her that he had seen cats running away from the scene. Helen then told him about the guards that stood around the King Sage who had given the information about Mano's shell. Olsen became enraged, sending his blood pressure through the sky as the thought of someone who had helped him turned right around and attacked the entire village. Hot pink flames flared around his body and slowly swayed back and forth, making his eyes emanate the same power, small pink threads of power feeling all over his body.

"Take me to him!" he growled, trying his best to calm his rage. Helen went and retrieved Oz who then teleported them right to the door of the King Sage in a hellish firestorm. The King Sage put down his glass of wine and hovered to the front of his palace.

"Helen, let me borrow your Gaia for a moment." Once she had given it to him, he began his march to the sage. The sage launched many a magic spell, which Olsen easily deflected looking like blue sparks as they disintegrated once they hit the mantle. For a moment Olsen disappeared and then reappeared standing next to the sage and grabbed him by the shirt.

"Did you at all have anything to do with the attack on Herb Town?!" The sage grinned and stared Olsen in the eye.

"That little wench standing there needs to be taught who it is that she should fear…" The sage was suddenly silenced as Olsen planted a foot in his face and made him crash to the floor with Olsen gripping his shirt just as quickly again, standing on his chest.

"I will ask you one last time: Did you help in the attack of Herb Town?" The sage eyed him with disgust, finally giving him an answer.

"Yes, Yes I did." Olsen swiftly struck him across the face, an edge of metal from his Avarice catching the sage's cheek and tearing a small chunk of flesh out.

"You damned bastard! Why don't I do the world a favor and just cut out your heart right here and now!?"

"You wouldn't be able to do that even if you wanted to. Are you going to throw your life away that your precious Jenny saved?" Olsen gritted his teeth while the power of the Pink Quartz seeped from his body and surrounded his Bazlud, moving like flames in a breeze.

"Her life is now in danger because of you! If you ask me I think that you deserve to die for attacking so many innocent people." Helen took a step forwards to stop him, but was stopped by Oz who shook her head.

"Minerva knows what would happen to you if you interfered right now." Oz whispered. Olsen raised his dagger into the air which glowed brightly as he screamed and drove the dagger down into the rock just beside the sage's head, putting a small cut through his ear.

"If you _EVER_ try something like this again, I _will_ kill you." Olsen hissed as he stood, sheathing his dagger and walking back to the other two as the sage struggled to sit up.

"You will regret threatening the King Sage!" Olsen stopped, and in one quick motion, threw a kunai back which grazed the cheek of the sage and put another cut in his ear before burying itself into the rock wall behind him.

"Go ahead, give me a reason." The fire of the Quartz burned hot in his eyes, making the sage remain quiet and let them leave in a ball of flames. Once they were gone, the sage healed his wounds while he gritted his teeth: one day that young Ninja would regret making an enemy out of him. Haunting whispers filled the air around him making the sage turn to see the Black Mage standing before him.

"What do you mean a pestilence?" Sage asked innocently. The Mage narrowed his eyes, slowly and purposefully walking up to him as more whispers surround the both of them, slowly escalating into thousands of anguish filled voices until he stood over him. The sage suddenly began grabbing at his throat which looked as though a hand were wrapped around his fat neck, picking him up off the ground, his feet twitching and shaking beginning to cough and struggle as the grip around his neck became tighter.

"Why do you need mere children? They show no respect for those that have true power within this world! Besides, the little wench made a threat against me, The King Sage! The attack on the village was just collateral damage!" The Mage's eyes narrowed as the sage then screamed out under the tightening grip, making his scream echo through the valley which was matched only by an equally loud crack, crows flying from the trees. The Black Mage put his hand down and huffed after dropping the fat corpse to the ground, leaving the cooling body for the crows while his image faded away into the mist, silence hanging thick in the air.


	11. Chapter 10: To Be Stronger

Chapter 10: To Be Stronger

For days, Olsen hovered next to Jenny's bed as Grendal slowly healed the wound she had received during the attack on the village still, having trouble getting the sight out of his head: The burning village, people running amok, and Jenny in his arms with a massive amount of blood soaking her shirt. With the help of the Snow and Red Herb potions her recovery was quicker, but still left Olsen uneasy making him stay by her side every chance he had. The others however had been stirred into a training frenzy, training harder and harder each day pushing their bodies and minds to the brink of utter exhaustion as they tried to better themselves since the attack on the village had shown them the dangers that were just waiting to tear them apart. Jack could often be heard near the shore, breaking boulders into pebbles with each earth shaking strike, or blowing holes through giant trees with his Rasfelt, shooting off the large rounds and then reloading the cylinder until his shoulders would give out from the kickback. Helen would sometimes just sit and watch him from a cliff overlooking the beach where Jack trained, knowing full well that she too should be trying to get stronger, but would rather just watch Jack for hours on end getting very little training done if any at all. Beyond that, the two of them would often be missing from the group at the end of the day while the rumors about what was going on with them began to develop.

"I say that their secretly going out." Lillianne stated, crossing her arms as though she had solved the case.

"Naw! Those two? You're joking right? Every time we ask 'em about it both of them give us this weird look and says that there's nothing going on. Besides, Jack isn't really the romantic type." Matthew shot back.

"I'm telling you they are!"

"Then why don't we have a little wager: If I'm right and there's nothing going on, you have to dress like a scarlion and drink a gallon of water, not going to bathroom all day." Matthew challenged

"And If I'm right, you have to dress in one of my mother's dresses for a day." Lillianne challenged in return. The both of them shook hands, staring each other in the eye with fire burning behind them, returning to their fighting stances and continuing to pummel away at each other, Lillianne polishing her skills while Matthew perfected his own. Running drills through his power swing all the way up to his most powerful of strikes, the Solar Scythe.

* * *

"Jack, you must put more chest into your power strikes! All you're using are your shoulders and arms. If you keep that up you won't have any power to do something like this." Hawkeye instructed, driving his fist into the ground and splitting it into a deep chasm for at least twenty yards.

"I could do that if I wanted." Jack shot back, adjusting his Claws of Fury.

"Prove it." Challenged Hawkeye. Jack growled, drawing back his fist which glowed furiously reddish-blue and driving into the ground just as Hawkeye had, but instead of splitting the ground, it caved under the weight of his strike, creating a crater in the ground.

"Sure, you've got a lot of power, but you have absolutely no direction. What are you going to do if you need to send an enemy flying away from you? With what you can do now, all you'll really be able to do is stun them, or injure them at best. Sometimes you need to drive an enemy back to get a better attack. Now do it again, this time try to make sure that you're using more chest this time." Jack growled, drawing back his fist, charging the attack with Ruby Chrystal and Mana, making sure to think about _how_ he struck.

_"More chest huh?_" the thought rang in his head over and over again like a bell, threads of red electricity sparking over his fists and making small trenches in the ground as it continued to build, striking into the air until he finally hit the ground with enough force that rivaled that of Kyrin. The chasm the he created however only stretched ten feet at best.

"Man, I'd be able to feel that all the way back in the village." Laughed Kyrin as she walked over the ridge she was watching from. Jack was about to argue a point when the voice of Cygnus caught his attention with Shinsoo at her side.

"There you are Jack. There's someone that I want you to meet. He's a very accomplished mage, even for his young age." Jack raised his eyebrow, but followed her back to the village none the less while disarming his fists and hanging the Furies on his belt.

* * *

Olsen had been at Jenny's side for 12 hours straight, just watching over her as her wounds healed. Time and time again Olsen would blame himself and apologize to her as she slept for not being able to keep something like this from happening to her in the first place, periodically leaning over and softly kissing the side of her forehead.

"Son, the Empress would like an audience with you. She wishes you to meet someone." Jin said low as he came into Jenny's sleeping quarters.

"It's alright, I should really stay here."

"Olsen, you've done all you could. There was nothing that you could have done that would have prevented from _someone_ getting hurt." Olsen didn't seem like he was really buying the story that Dark Lord was trying to convince him to go. Walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, Jin tilted his head back to the door.

"Go on, I'll keep watch." Olsen's expression seemed to lighten, allowing him to almost relax as he got up and walked out the door, heading for what they all had come to jokingly know as the Counsel Forest, since it was where most of their meetings about strategy or important events took place. Right now however, their meeting place was the epicenter of meeting one of the great heroes that had been reborn. Aran stepped to the center as Cygnus and Olsen sat down when a rushing breeze blew over them, blowing out the small campfire in the center. Form the skies descended the same large black dragon Olsen had seen the night of the attack on the town; back then, the dragon had seemed so ferocious but now that he saw it in the light of day, the dragon seemed much more docile. From its back, the young rider jumped down and jerked his head to the side, tossing his wild, windblown, champaign colored hair to the side and out of his eyes when Aran began.

"A long time ago, my friend and comrade Freud made a pact with the Onyx dragon, Afrien, brought to Ossyria from Oldesta, the home of all dragons by Minerva in her attempt to stop the Black Mage during his beginning stages. However, the bond that Freud and Afrien had made was the same as the one tying the Empress and Shisoo together. And so with the unfortunate passing of Freud, it slowly began killing Afrien as she flew away from where Freud had died with his last request:

'Ensure that our pact will be reborn one day.' She struggled against her fading life force until she plummeted to the ground just outside of what is now Henesys. For a decade, she lay dormant, and eventually she too passed away from not eating. But not before she used the last of her life force to leave the world one final gift in hopes that the ancient pact she held with the human Freud would one day be restored. The gift she left was her offspring; for hundreds of years the egg sat dormant underground, protected by the skeleton of her since deceased mother. It wasn't until by complete accident, Evan found her when he had fallen down the overgrown valley where Afrien had fallen to the ground." Everyone was star struck: this teenage boy had found the egg of Afrien as was essentially the reincarnation of Freud. A light surrounded the dragon for a moment while the shape of the light seemed to change and when it subsided, it revealed a young woman just a bit taller than Helen. Her hair was streaked with golden blond that stood out against her pitch back hair while riveting gold eyes looked out onto the world with clarity and wisdom, clad in a slightly ragged grey dress that seemed to suit her. Her soft and alluring features were offset drastically by the only two features that remained giving any hint that she wasn't human: her dragon's wings and tail as Aran stood to the side to allow her the stage.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Guardians. I have waited many a year in hopes that I would see this day come; my name is Mir, the name carved into the rock where Evan found me." She said taking a small bow, then taking a small step to Evan. Matthew and Olsen were stunned: sure they had read about how some dragonesses would hide in human form as a princess or something to that effect to find a mate, but they never imagined exactly what they would look like. Evan smiled and stepped forwards to continue his tale.

"At first when she had hatched, I really didn't know what to make of it. That is until we were able to communicate and it was then I was shown my family lineage and how I was the direct descendant of Freud. My older brother Utah and my mother Anna were against it at first, but through the next few weeks we began training together, slowly strengthening the bond between us while Mir and I leaned magical techniques which combined my latent Mage powers with hers making us into an unstoppable force. Six months after I had first discovered her, Mir was nearly full grown, which allowed us to then move on from our house and join the fight with the Knights of Cygnus and Aran against the rumored rise of the Black Mage." The guardians were impressed: A young boy had found an ancient Onyx Dragon and made a pact with her, making them almost as powerful as Helen would be. Jack looked over to her and noticed the long stare that lingered on Evan, then smiled and shook his head.

"_Of course, why did I think anything was really going anywhere?_" he thought disappointedly. But he was a mage and she was supposed to be the Guardian Mage of Ossyria, so why not? Mir caught the gaze of Helen and intentionally took a step forwards, locking eyes with her and even going so far as to growl in her throat. Helen then realized what she was doing and quickly tried to avoid looking at him, even though she thought he was actually pretty cute.

"Tell me something. When I first saw you, you told me that the red dragon rider was your enemy and your enemy alone. Why is that? Is there something you're keeping from us?" Olsen asked, making Evan drop his eyes as Mir turned and placed a hand on his arm, looking as though she too were saddened.

"That… Is something for another time perhaps." He said with a great deal of difficulty as a thick awkward silence followed, lasting for a long time after.

"Well, I'm going to go back and check on Jenny. From what Grendal told me last night, her wound should be completely healed by now." Olsen started, making his way back to the town and making the unofficial 'break' to their small meeting. Evan turned away from the group so that none of them could see the sadness in his eyes while a small tear rolled down his cheek. Mir walked in front of him and wrapped her arms around him and then wrapped her wings around him as well.

"Master Evan, you had no fault in what happened to him. It was his decision alone."

"Mir, I could have prevented it. And yet I did nothing: what kind of a mage am I if I can't even protect one person from his own choices?" he asked, hugging Mir close as he tried to stay his tears.

"It's alright. I'm here for you master." Helen turned and walked away after staying just long enough to watch them; whatever had happened, it must have been something that he had felt responsible for. Dances stood behind her as she turned around and began walking back to the village.

"Oh Dances! I didn't hear you come up." Dances eyed her for a moment as he passed her and walked straight to Evan and Mir.

"We will be having the noon meal soon. If you would be so kind as to grant us you company in joining us, it would be accepted." Evan didn't move for a bit, and then began wiping his eyes before facing him.

"I'll be there shortly Dances." He nodded and returned, passing very close to Helen and whispering low to her.

"Come, everyone is waiting." Helen reluctantly followed, from time to time looking back over her shoulder at the two of them just embracing each other.

"_I wonder if someday Jack and I will be like them._" she thought as she followed Dances into the village where once again, there was a bountiful meal set before them at which even Jenny was able to join with the help of Olsen. It wasn't much longer until Mir and Evan joined them, joking and laughing with them as though nothing had happened, filling in Jenny on what she had missed when Camila came running up to them and knelt down next to Evan. For a moment, Mir went on the defensive, her eyes becoming wild and fierce until she recognized her and relaxed.

"Evan, has there been any news on Utah?" she asked, having a pleading look in her eyes. Evan took her hand and sadly shook his head. Camila put on a brave smile and nodded, slowly walking away back to whatever it was that she was doing before.

"What's that about?" asked Jenny.

"About 3 years after the Masters left Ossyria, my older brother Utah went missing. I've been looking for him ever since. Camila took it the hardest since she was friends with him from when they were both children." Mir had a cheerless look in her eyes as she placed a hand on Evan's which Olsen caught; there was something Evan wasn't telling them, but what? He decided he would ask about it later, as he got up from the table and brushed off his hands.

"Well, now that my stomach isn't growling anymore, I think that I'm going to go train some."

"Let me come with you." Jenny said as she struggled to get up, which Olsen quickly took her weight. He could only chuckle and bring her with him as he left for the training grounds in Mu Lung with Cygnus, Eckhart, Dark Lord and Shinsoo.

"Stubborn girl." He laughed as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

* * *

"Are you sure having them in the same area would be wise? They are after all rivals." Eleanor asked as she innocently walked up to the Mage who only nodded, holding out his hand where an image of the five crystals appeared, circling in the small window that he had created as he looked over to Eleanor.

"Nothing has surfaced, I'm afraid; using the time spell, I found that Francis had already located most of the husks. He was planning to use them in an attempt to get his mother back, but as a safe guard had hidden the map in one of his dolls, and now all of those are burned to ashes." The Mage growled low in his throat, turning his sights back to the rising sun over the Minar Mountains while angry hissing whispers filled the air as he gripped the arms of his throne.

"Don't worry master, I've taken care of it. You won't be waiting that long." The young and vitality filled voice of Oberon said as she hovered in with Eldan Giant at her side, holding tightly to his arm. The Mage looked to her, holding out his hand to her as if asking her to explain what it was that she had in mind.

"Mu Gong will soon be asking for their help in defeating a shadow of himself. It is always said that the strongest foe you will ever face is yourself, and so he will never be able to defeat himself." Oberon explained. The Mage became agitated, standing to his full height and walking to her as the aura around his body flared more intensely, hissing whispers filling the air as he approached.

"There is no need to fret Master, because in order for them to defeat that shadow, they will at least need to match the power and skill of Mu Gong himself and so they will be forced to train with him, thus advancing the crystal's power." The Mage's eyes smiled as he walked over to Oberon and rubbed her head slightly making her smile like a small child under his touch as Eleanor came up and stood next to the Mage showing her approval as well.

* * *

Once again, Matthew, Lillianne, Mihile and Dances with Balrog were all involved in a giant battle royal, with Matthew being the center of their attacks, pushing his focus to its limits as he blocked Mihile from the left with his new katana-like sword, Lion's Fang while simultaneously attacking Lillianne to the right with his Katar: a short sword with a gold hilt and green stained blade. Both of them were pushed back by Matthew who was once again on the defensive as Dances swung from the right, again blocked by the Lion's Fang. Matthew threw the Katar into the ground and pushed off Dances as all three of them came at him once again only to be put into the defensive as Matthew unleashed a Solar Scythe parallel to the ground, making all of them struggle to hold it off. Quickly Matthew sheathed the swords and ran to the weapons rack and grabbed a Gold Mole: a giant square faced sledge hammer. He spun around as he gathered momentum then slammed the hammer into the ground while using the Ruby Crystal to amplify his power swing, making the ground shake from the pure force, throwing the attackers balance off and allowing Matthew to come running at them with Mole in hand. He raised it high above his head as he leapt into the air and swung as hard as he could at Dances. In a split second, Dances looked up and jumped back barely avoiding the ground caving force of the hammer. Lillianne came from the right and Mihile closed from the left, both of them closing off his escape routes. Matthew threw his hands out to each of them as a dark ghost rose from his back, making Mihile and Lillianne feel weak. Quickly Matthew drew his Katar and held back Lillianne's once deadly swing while he pulled his cloak up and stopped Mihile's attack dead in its tracks while they stopped and rested for a while.

"You've improved quite well Matthew, I'm surprised how easily you stopped my Momentum Smash, with one hand even." Lillianne commented as she stood panting and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"I too am pleased with you progress; to employ your weakening ability before stopping our attack and then using your cloak to stop my sword. Not only that but you were able to even find time to grab another weapon and use its weight to your advantage." Matthew smiled a bit as he stood back up rolling his shoulders a bit.

"I will have to say though that the Mole was a bit heavier than I thought, made my shoulders really took a hit." Dances walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Even if that was the case, I'm proud of you. You even made me fear for my life there for a second."

"Now tell me again why I'm changing weapons again?" Matthew asked, referring to the new swords he had received.

"To put it bluntly, they are stronger weapons. If you were to use the same weapons that you started with, they would shatter under your brute force. So as your strength increases, so does the strength of your weapons." Dances said when one of the pandas from Mu Lung came running up to them in a great hurry.

* * *

Thunderous explosions and clouds of dust rose into the air as Helen teleported out of one of them, spun around and launched a volley of violet flames into a cloud of dust where a bubble of poison exploded, releasing its deadly contents onto the air. Grendal and Oz appeared behind her, Oz focusing her mana in her palms into a giant fireball while Grendal gathered mana at the top of his staff, simultaneously releasing a high powered bolt of lightning with Oz at Helen. Helen quickly folded her hands putting her index fingers up as a bright violet cross appeared in front of her and absorbed the attacks, then teleported to another location, waving her staff, the Mystic Cane and called up a wall of purple flaming gears, clinking and clattering as they spun and engaged each tooth around her attackers. Once Helen had them surrounded, she used multiple teleports to position herself above them in the air, and then released a volley of Sacred Arrows as she fell, teleporting herself to the ground. However once she was there, Grendal and Oz were both standing over her with their staffs at her neck.

"I'm sorry to say Helen, but you have lost this training session." Oz said quietly.

"Not yet I haven't." she growled as ice quickly formed all around her in a thick patch on the ground, encasing both the master's legs in ice which allowed her to quickly knock them off balance. Just as they were gaining back their balance, they both were met with a bubble of poison inches from their face as Helen held it, ready to burst.

"See? I told you I wasn't ready to give up." Grendal laughed as he melted the ice around his feet and Helen put the poison back into the pouch on the belt of her Black Calaf. Oz quickly melted the ice and came bounding up to her.

"That was brilliant Helen; using your crouched position after releasing those Sacred Arrows on us to hide the fact that you were getting ready for another move. Remember that one; you may need it later on." Helen laughed as she hugged her grandpa until a panda from Mu Lung came running at them head long, nearly out of breath, stumbling to a stop. Oz walked to him as he stopped, resting on his knees and trying to catch his breath but when asked why he was in such a hurry, he managed to pant:

"The Empress and Neinheart are requesting that you come back to the village."

* * *

Hawkeye and Kyrin ran from the cloud of dust with their arms trailing behind them while Jack burst from the cloud with great speed, making the air around him look as though it were creating a contrail. He quickly caught the two of them, striking the ground time and again just behind their feet, making the ground cave or split as he would hit. Kyrin dug her heals in and brought herself to a stop while gathering her mana around her body, quickly taking her into her superior state. As she levitated, she held her hand out firing multiple spheres of her own energy at him. Jack quickly reacted by drawing his Rasfelt fired off a powerful round into each of the spheres, but quickly ran out of ammo because of the five shot capacity. Quickly he flicked the chamber open, dumped out the shells and thumbed another live round into the air as he swung the gun, catching the bullet in the cylinder. As he flicked the revolver closed he compressed the power of the Ruby crystal mixed with some of his own mana into a grenade, pulled the pin with his teeth and threw it into the air at the other spheres remaining then used the one shot he had loaded to shoot the grenade and obliterate the oncoming spheres while using the kickback to push himself to a safe distance. Hawkeye came charging through the cloud of smoke with threads of lime green lightning sparking from his fists but was put to the defensive. Hawkeye crossed his arms as Jack somersaulted backwards making his boot spark off Hawkeye's gauntlets and sending him backwards. Jack careened forwards as Hawkeye corrected, but was instantly caught off guard as Kyrin came careening over him, hitting the ground which exploded in a straight line to Jack. Jack stopped as best he could, pulling his cloak around him and waited out the attack while at the same time compressing a large amount of mana into his fist which made his forearms swell, threads of red electricity surrounded his fists and retracting the blades on his knucklers. All at once he burst from under his cloak to face Hawkeye just in front of him, who was sent sailing into the sky as Jack hit him with two quick secession upper cuts, each punch smoking from the brute force used. Just as he finished, he became a blur with a rooster tail of dust following him as he streaked across the ground to Kyrin, stopping just in front of her with a deadly look in his eyes as something reddish violet flowed over his entire upper body. Even in her superior state, she felt vulnerable. She streaked away with Jack right on her tail, unleashing a whistling fist at her; Kyrin crossed her arms to block it, but was quickly sent into the air from a summersault. Just as she landed she tried to counter with her own attack but wasn't able to gather her mana fast enough as Jack was already on her and launching into a corkscrew motion, hitting her directly in the gut. Jack quickly recovered from the attack and spun around backwards, cracking her square on the jaw with his elbow while he tripped her and slammed her into the ground. In the remaining seconds, Jack reloaded a shot, extended the blades in his Fury and drew back his fist as he knelt on Kyrin's chest. Hawkeye hit the ground next to them allowing Jack to point his Rasfelt into his face and cock the hammer. As Kyrin opened her eyes from her head spinning, she froze for a moment as she was met with the sight of Jack's fist engulfed in ruby power that moved like a slow moving flames.

"Ok, I give." She said as Jack let her up while she tried to stop the pounding in her own head, the same as Hawkeye.

"You know this is only training. You don't have to go all out like that." Hawkeye scolded making Jack laugh a bit and he de-tensioned the hammer and holstered the Rasfelt.

"Sorry, I guess I just got caught up in the moment. I mean, sure training with you guys is alright and all, but it feels like I've kinda reached a plateau. The only thing I can think to do is to go a little hard with you guys to get _you_ to go harder on me."

"Are you kidding? It nearly took all my mana and a lot of what I had just to stay ahead of you today. You'll soon be able to outdo me with just your pinky and one hand tied behind your back." Kyrin laughed.

"Oh come on ma, you're the pirate master. I don't think I'll ever be able to outdo you." Jack scoffed, throwing his hand towards her in an agitated manner

"Just look at yourself now. You landed three hard hits on me; no one has ever done that this early in training. But a major part has to do with the fact that you also have the Ruby Crystal at your disposal, which is hundreds of times more potent then mana." Jack nodded as he began to see her point, but just as he was about to continue, muffled clapping from behind him made him turn to see No Gong who then motioned for him to follow.

* * *

With a blur, Dark Lord and Eckhart appeared on tree branches, slowly catching their breath even though it was still very little. Eckhart looked to Jin and made a motion with his hand, but he shook his head and made a different motion, taking from his belt a dagger while Eckhart pulled a few of his special shadow stars from the pack on his belt. Steadily, the both of them listened for any sign of Olsen, but no matter what they did they couldn't hear him. Suddenly a rustle came to the right of Eckhart which cued him to release two stars igniting into violet flames and burying themselves into a nearby tree. Jin listened more, but was having trouble getting a hold of where Olsen would be. Something felt off, and it was heading towards him quickly.

"Eckhart!" he shouted as the both of then dove from branch, six marks in the tree's trunk appearing spraying sap all over the both of them. Eckhart landed first, turning and throwing a star that sailed into the sky, hitting nothing and quickly drew another pair of stars, disappearing into thin air. Dark Lord landed and instantly called up his doppelganger, throwing a spray of stars in a complete circle with no success quickly calling up his most infamous of techniques, the Shadow web. Olsen was running at full speed, increasing his speed with the help of the speed wings, but that turned out to be his undoing as he became entangled in the web, skidding and bouncing to a stop with sticky web like strings all over him. Dark Lord and Eckhart both stood over him, shaking their heads until Olsen smirked.

"VAMPIRE!" he shouted as power from the quartz floated up from him and made the shape of a large bat calling down smaller counter parts around Dark and Eckhart which then flew at them, striking them with their wings as they went by. When it was over, Olsen had escaped the web putting the two of them again on the defensive until the both of them froze with Olsen holding a dagger at their throats. Dark however managed to quickly gather his mana and create a wooden double to allow him to get away. However no sooner had he gotten out of his grip then he was pinned to a tree on his sleeve by Olsen's Perfect Seven. Off to the side Jenny clapped quickly while she sat leaned up against Shinsoo making Olsen look back at her with a killer's look in his eye for a moment that quickly faded.

"Just watching what you can do makes me a bit jealous. But at the same time it makes me want to try harder to catch up to you." Jenny called. Olsen grinned and released his grip on Eckhart and walked over to Dark Lord, pulling the Tobis he had thrown out of Jin's sleeve and slid them back into his Blood Slain.

"To tell the truth, I'm actually feeling a bit like I've reached my limit of training. However this new China Suit, Sais and the claw have all helped. I just need a new challenge." Olsen explained as Jenny got up from her seat and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure that you'll get past this." Jenny reassured until Cygnus spoke up from returning on her trip.

"I'm sorry to say this Olsen, but I will need you to call your training here short. I just returned from talking with Mu Gong from an urgent matter he wished to speak with me about. He is a master of the fighting arts, but someone has made a shadow creature of him, able to reproduce all his abilities and talents. Mu Gong tried to overcome the shadow himself, but was unable to. So he is requesting the help of you, The Guardians of Ossyria to help him in defeating this foe before it breaks free of its confines within his dojo."

"Let's go then!" Jenny said, turning around but flinching when her wound spoke for her, despite it having been healed over by Grendal, it was still in the process of healing naturally.

"Jenny, I'm sorry to say this, but you're going to need to stay out of this one. Right now you need to focus on getting completely healed. Once you are, I'll be sure to help you regain your training." Jin said sternly. Jenny sighed heavily: she was looking forward to being out in the open once again with bow in hand, but now she couldn't because of this stupid injury. Olsen picked her chin up and gave her a small kiss with an almost pleading look in his eyes.

"Just this once please do as you are asked." Jenny sighed once more and nodded her head allowing Olsen to help her onto Shinsoo's back who then flew back to Herb Town. Just as she was getting out of sight, Olsen and the others turned and left for Mu Lung where they were greeted by the pandas who lead them directly to Mu Gong's house where the others were waiting.

"From what I understand, there are five of you. Where is the fifth?" Mu Gong asked as Olsen sat down.

"She is back in Herb Town continuing to recover from an injury she received when the village was attacked." The Empress said as she took her seat at the table. Mu Gong huffed.

"When I was her age, I would have been on my feet and training the day after. No matter. The matter at hand is the Shadow Creature that is currently locked and sealed in my Dojo. I don't know how he came to be or who is responsible for this, but he is just as strong as me, and can do anything and everything that I ever learned. As I'm sure the Empress has told you, I cannot defeat him, since he is myself. That is why I have called you here: to defeat me."

"Not without me you're not." Jenny said as she burst through the door dressed in her new armor, the Lumati, and her new bows, Olympus and Rower cross bow with her.

"Jenny! I told you to stay back in the village. You're still…"

"I got Grendal to heal the last of my wound so I'm alright."

"Lemme check." Helen said, sternly walking over to her and promptly pushed her finger right where her injury had been. As expected Jenny shouted out in pain and held her side.

"I figured as much. Jenny if you keep pushing yourself like this then you'll never heal right. Not only that but you'll be weaker when you go to face the Black Mage." Scolded Helen.

"Come off it girl. She should have been on her feet and training the next day. If you can't learn to shake off your wounds then she doesn't deserve the title of "Guardian." Mu Gong scoffed. Jack became enraged, pushing mana and ruby power into his body which thundered deafeningly. In a blur of movement he grabbed Mu Gong by the shoulder and slammed him against the wall, drew the Rasfelt and cocked the hammer pushing it to Mu Gong's forehead.

"You may have been able to shake off such a wound. But think about this: since we are _going_ to defeat this shadow problem of yours that means we will be able to defeat _you_. If you don't quit with your down grading comments, I _will_ come for you with the bullets that I save." Jack growled, tightening his grip to emphasize his point. Mu Gong didn't flinch, but he understood the ferocity that Jack was alluding to, nodding his understanding. Helen quickly came up to Jack and pulled him aside, looking him straight in the eyes as if to say 'calm down', which quickly cooled his head.

"Alright, you can come. Just promise that you'll let us know if you can't keep up." Matthew said, with a nod from Jenny, the small group then followed Mu Gong to a special tower where his Mu Gong's grandson, So Gong waited, explaining that the tower they were about to enter would push them to their very limits by exposing them to an ever increasing difficulty of foe until they faced Mu Gong himself at the top of the tower. Once they were able to defeat him, they would be unleashed on the shadow. The first few foes that they had faced were easy enough, usually being taken down with little more than a single strike from any one of them. However as they progressed, things quickly became difficult as they faced off against creatures made of pure mana to represent the different foes that they had or would face in the future. Further and further they pushed, climbing each floor and defeating their foes, Jack, Helen, and Matthew began to run low on mana, even though they were using the power of the crystals in tandem with their mana. By the time they had reached the "Mush Room", they all looked as if they had been run over by a semi, standing in the hallway catching their breath.

"Jack, how you doin' on mana?" Helen asked. Jack shook his head as he wrapped a cut on his arm.

"I'm almost out. I've got just enough for maybe one good punch or a couple quick shots. How about you guys?"

"I'm completely out. I've been using just brute strength the past two rooms." Matthew panted.

"I've got just enough for one good fire ball, freezing spell or Sacred Arrow." Helen commented as Jenny fell against the wall holding her side which Olsen quickly came over and attended to her wound which was standing out against her skin with a huge bruise.

"Helen. If you were to use some crystal power could you heal this?" Olsen asked.

"I can try, but I think my mana will run out before I'm able to heal it all the way."

"It's alright; let's just see if we can get this one. Besides, there are only two more to go until the next rest point. We can stop there if we need to." Each of them took a few more moments to catch their breath and then pushed into the room where nothing awaited. Jack stood still, listening to the eerie silence when he heard something from above them.

"GET BEHIND ME!" he shouted, pulling his mantle forwards just as a giant orange mushroom hit the ground, but because of Jack's Gaia, none of them were affected. Matthew quickly drew his Lion's Fang and charged the giant mushroom, slashing at its body until small spores fell from the cap and grew into smaller orange mushrooms, releasing their irritating spores into the air. Helen drew and released her last Sacred Arrow into the forehead of the giant mushroom which flailed and screeched in pain; it had been such a long time since she had used all her mana that it left her feeling weak. Before her a spore dropped and sprouted, turning its face up to her and inhaling to release a cloud of spores into her face. She was so tired that even though her mind screamed at her to move she hadn't the strength to do so. Just as the mushroom released its breath, Jack ran to her, picked her up and jumped out of the way, setting her down against the wall he returned to the fight, only able to take out the smaller mushrooms. Olsen and Jenny unleashed what they could by using the power of their crystals, but eventually their bodies began to buckle under the strain of trying to stay on the move to keep from getting hit themselves. Just as Olsen was coming around for another attack, something in his ankle gave way, making a spear of pain shoot up his leg and stopped him cold bringing him to his knees. Just as he stopped, an orange mushroom sprang up in front of him, turning the underside of its cap to him just as its spores were releasing and gathering at its mouth. Just before it released them, Matthew swung down, cutting the mushroom in half and making it melt away in blue vapors. Matthew's arms and back were stiff; his legs felt like Jello and the Lion's Fang felt like it weighed a hundred tons. Letting it hit the ground with a hard clatter, he then drew his Katar which was lighter than the Fang, but was still hard to move, especially with the heavy Ocher armor he was clad in weighing him down. Jenny and Jack did then best they could, firing bullets and arrows at the giant mushroom with little or no effect, while Matthew cut away at the fleshy stalk with just as little success. The three of them stopped for a moment when the mushroom seemed to become weak bowing the giant hat over its eyes.

"Did we get it?" Jack asked.

"Hardly." Matthew panted, trying as hard as he could to pick up his arms with no luck. The Mushroom then reared its head screaming out in a high pitch squeal while a cloud of spores from under its hat began to fill the room. The group could only slump to the ground in exhaustion waiting for their fate to come when the mushroom simply vanished into a cloud of mana.

"Rest up. You will need your strength in the coming days. I expect that by the end of this week, you will lay me to the floor." Mu Gong called from his cat-walk perch. Each of them were too tired to care, dropping to the ground and panting as hard as they could instantly feeling relief wash over them.

"Tomorrow, you will start again from the beginning." Mu Gong announced, sure that none of them heard him as he walked out of the room.

"Master Mu Gong; The Shadow is becoming difficult to contain; the dojo's walls are beginning to give way under its relentless assault." So Gong said as he walked with his master. Mu Gong rubbed his chin and nodded his understanding, going with his student to shore up the dojo. After the group had regained some of their strength they were lead to a table for food, and then shown around the grounds as to where they would be sleeping, baths, heated pool and meditation rooms.

"So, what's going on with you and Helen? You guys were taking off a bunch by yourselves for a while, is there something happening?" Matthew asked bluntly as he took off his heavy armor readying to take a long and relaxing soak in one of the baths. Jack walked into the bathroom and pulled off the vest and shirt of his Plasteer suit, then draped a towel over his shoulder as he walked out.

"We're friends." Jack replied flatly, not really letting any other meaning come from his answer as he left for the bath, shaking his head at how his friends kept thinking that there was something between them. Even so, there was also the fact that she seemed to be attracted to Evan so who was he to stand in her way? Thoughts of what Helen really meant to him kept swirling around in his head as he slipped into the warm outdoor bath, letting his body's pain melt away until the water seeped into the cut on his arm making him flinch, staring at his small cut for a moment while replaying the moment when he pulled Helen away from the mushroom just before it sprayed her in spores.

"_Why did I pick her up rather than just smash the Mushroom?_" he asked himself as he set his arm back down and looked up into the sky, watching the stars go by, until he splashed his face and shook his head.

"Just concentrate on the task at hand before worrying about that." He told himself as he got out and headed for the showers.

* * *

"So Helen! Tell me, are you at all getting close with Jack?" Jenny asked suddenly as the girls took off their armors and got ready for bed.

"What? Him? Naw, we're just friends."

"Well from what I've heard, you two had been sneaking out of the village at night, not returning until late. What's going on there?" Jenny pried. Helen turned to Jenny with bright red exploding into her cheeks.

"Wha… who… who said that anything special was going on?" Helen asked, untying the ribbon holding her hair and quickly pulling the winged tiara off her head, setting it atop the folded Calaf.

"Just all of us." Lillianne answered back as she slid under the covers, letter her body relax and almost instantly falling asleep.

"Jenny there's nothing going on. Just leave it at that." Helen huffed as she dropped down onto her bed and pulled the covers over her head.

"_We're just friends, right?_" she asked herself. But as she thought, she remembered something that had happened when they had first met through the game MapleStory. She was a beginning mage and he was an undecided pirate, trying to decide whether to be a brawler or a gunslinger. In the end he decided on a brawler, but over time they soon found out they went to the same school and from there soon met Olsen, Jenny and Matthew.

"_MapleStory. It seems like such a far away memory now._" She chuckled to herself. Once again her thoughts turning to Jack, unsure about what to make of him; they were close that much she knew… or were they closer then she thought? She remembered when Jack picked her up out of the way of the Mushroom that for a split moment, his scent awakened something in her, something she thought didn't exist. In the same thought, she then told herself that Jack was just a friend before exhaustion over came her and she slammed to sleep. The next day dawned early for the Guardians, but with a hearty breakfast and some warm up stretches the group again tackled the tower, powering through the first few floors and defeating their foe from the previous day with mana to spare but coming to a grinding halt when then came to the Room of Time where the mana copy of Alishar took the rest of what they had to offer, leaving them defeated and sending them back down to the bottom of the tower. Once they were rested, and were sure they had enough mana, they again started at the bottom, powering through the floors again, and this time barely defeating Alishar and the annoying clock bird, Tick Time. However this allowed them to rest in the next room for their next few foes which proved to be advantageous, allowing them to fight through the giant alligator Dile, until they were defeated by the Pixie Father. For the entire day, they tried different tactics and powers in defeating the giant pixie, but at the end of the day, they were no closer to defeating him. However, they all had grown in power: their mana capacity had nearly doubled and their ability to use the crystal power was becoming something that could be feared. The next day they tackled the tower again with the same gusto as before, slowly building their power as they took down the Pixie Father and worked their way through the foes that awaited them further up the tower, every couple days being shown different styles and techniques mostly by So Gong. With every passing hour they trained, they became stronger, faster, more powerful then they had been before with Matthew, Jack and Helen slowly gaining more control of their crystal's power. Outside the tower, a figure stood on a tree branch watching with glowing violet eyes the five inside steadily becoming stronger, better than anyone he had ever faced before.

"Soon my friend, we shall exact our revenge on _him_, and the guardians." From behind him rose a dark looming shadow to the level of his master, as the dragon's silver eyes reflected the moonlight with a soft yet dangerous light. Dark red light surrounded the dragon for a moment and then revealed a man dressed head to toe in heavy, blood red armor. His helm only revealing his chin and mouth, allowing his glowing silver eyes to seen through the eye holes as though they were lights, while a cloak made of pure dark red flames flowed in the slight breeze. He didn't say a single word, and he didn't need to: he already knew his master's thoughts and his mission, and that was enough for him. Together the two of them would surpass even the Black Mage.

* * *

"Master, surely you don't intend on letting him just do as he pleases. At his current rate, all your plans will be for naught." Eleanor griped as she followed the mage to his sleeping quarters. As The Mage reached for the doors to his room, he stopped and slowly looked back at her before hauling the doors open while whispers filled the room then entered.

"Not in control of his powers? But if he isn't, than who is?" Eleanor asked. The Mage held up his hand, revealing and image of his dragon servant while more whispers, this time sounding slightly more agitated fizzled in the air around him, clenching his hand and making the image dissipate into a cloud f black vapors.

"Over estimating one's power is a dangerous venture on any front. However I believe that he would need much more than a mere millennia to become as powerful as you." Eleanor complimented, but The Mage remained silent, walking towards a mirror, waving his hand before it that summoned the image of the Pixie Father who turned around and bow respectfully, meeting the somewhat agitated eyes of the Black Mage making him shrink back a bit.

"My children and I have been looking everywhere within the tower and haven't found anything yet. Do you think that she may have hidden it somewhere else?" The Mage hissed in the back of his throat, when realization came to his eyes and a commanding whisper cut through the air before The Mage waved his hand making the mirror become dark and began quickly walking through the castle.

"Master? Where do you think she has hidden it if we are going to the West Castle?" The Mage didn't answer, but Eleanor could tell that where ever it was he thought it could be, it was a great deal more agitating to him than most. And there was only one place she knew of that could irritate The Mage _this_ much: the bottom of the Sleeping Wood, where he had been sealed all those centuries ago.

* * *

The week that had preceded the five went by like hurricane, each of them gaining strength and power far beyond what they thought possible: powering through the floors as though they were mere stretches or warm ups while using the techniques and styles shown to them by So Gong. With their final effort, they defeated the mana creation of Papulatus and entered into Mu Gong's room atop the tower of training.

"You have done well to reach this floor." He said smoothly, setting down his cup of steaming tea and standing to his feet silently.

"And now, comes your final test: defeat me, and you will surely be able to defeat my shadow." All of them took a breath, slowly stepping around him with their weapons and spells at the ready. Mu Gong closed his eyes, his bushy eye brows covering his eyes and listened to each of them as they moved, breathed, and the heartbeat from the utter silence that pierced the room. Matthew took a breath and forced the air out quickly, igniting the blade of the Lion's Fang into a violet light while a red cloud and a small thread of lighting struck around him and a small whirl wind encircled him. Olsen flicked his wrist, bringing stars into his hands which were quickly surrounded by a hot pink flame, small wings appearing on his feet. Jenny slowly drew her bow as the arrow and bow were enveloped in a green haze, dissipating into the air as though it were smoke, compressing a bit of the power at the end of the arrow. Jack tightened the clasps of his knucklers as a red glow surrounded them looking similar to a flame as it moved and swayed with his movements while he held his fists at the ready. Helen closed her eyes and concentrated, gathering a bit of mana and crystal power in her hands, creating a plasma bolt which hissed slightly as it sat in her hand and stood for a moment. Matthew inched his foot closer as he pointed the end of his sword into a Rat Tail stance. Mu Gong looked his way for a moment, giving Helen the chance she needed. In a muffled bang, Helen teleported just behind Mu Gong and threw down the purple flaming bolt right where the master would have been which appeared just to the right of where she struck. Just as he was about to strike her, he had to jump back when Olsen's stars streaked between him and Helen which allowed Helen to swing her staff up at Mu Gong a send the Double claw spell at him while Jack appeared behind him, throwing forward his fist. Easily, Mu Gong jumped up and somersaulted back, using Jack's fist at a spring board sending Jack right into the path of Helen's Claw. Jack crossed his arms but was lost in a cloud of smoke as the spell hit. Jenny jumped though the smoke, pulling arrows and letting them go as fast as she could, only to have each one of them deflected while Mu Gong was in the air. Matthew used this chance to unleash the Solar Scythe he had prepared and lunged after the attack. Mu Gong turned to the scythe and put both his hands up, blocking the scythe with his mana covered paws. No sooner had the scythe dissipated then Matthew came up, jumping into the air and readying for a heavy down blow. Mu Gong readied himself to catch the blade but was caught off guard by Matthew's quick tactic change in driving the pummel under his arms to his head. Mu Gong tried to move to catch the lad's arm but his body suddenly seemed so sluggish at the moment that he was powerless to block it and was clocked in the face, due to Helen's Speed Seal. He was then sent head over heels towards the side wall if his dojo, which he corrected and "landed" on the wall, yet his body still felt so slow. Putting his hands together, he quickly made a few gestures with his hands then forced them forwards, unleashing a blast of water that would obliterate anything in its path from the sheer pressure. Quickly everyone gathered behind Jenny as she held up her mantle, splitting the oncoming wave as though it were a trickle.

"_She commands the Azure Gaia? _What now Guardians!? I have you pinned!" Mu Gong taunted, thought hiding his disbelief of the girl's possession of the Azure Gaia. Olsen gritted his teeth, his blood heating from the taunt of the old panda.

"Not yet you don't!" he growled, jumping over Jenny and running up beside the jet of water. Mu gong quickly reacted by stopping his attack then leaping off the wall towards a torch which he then threw at Olsen. Just before the coals of the torch hit him, Olsen pulled his Mantle up and tossed it aside, sweeping the hot coals with it making Mu Gong pause fror a moment.

"_He posses the Crimson Gaia?_" but his mind was quickly brought back to his task at hand as Olsen drew back his claw clad fist which glowed with a pink light. Mu Gong was again powerless to block the swift punch to his gut since he was still feeling rather sluggish, while a small pink ghost sank into his body and made his vision become unsteady, causing him stumble slightly as he tried to move. Jack ran up to him and cocked back the hammer, pointing the end of the barrel into his forehead and pulled the trigger only to have the hammer click loudly while a punch of mana hit him with enough force to leave him stunned for a moment, forcing him back to the wall once again where he was pinned there by Jenny's arrows. Matthew ran up to him while he was disoriented and drew his Katar, pushing the tip under his chin. When Mu Gong opened his eyes, he was greeted by every one of them holding another attack at the ready: Jenny had a humming green arrow at the ready while winds swirled around it in a bow that looked to be of a tribal design; Olsen held each of his Sai blades out, while his arms were crossed, glowing and buzzing with a hot pink light; Helen had drawn a powerful sacred arrow that glowed with a violet light while flames smoldered atop the arrow; Jack had drawn the Rasfelt which was cocked and pointed straight at him, a red flame, slightly pink in color, slowly dancing as it surrounded the gun; Matthew had his Lion's Fang drawn in the other hand, while the guard glowed in red light as the blade shone with a golden light.

"I see that I am surrounded. And any one move that I make in aggression would be my last. For me, you have defeated me." Relieved, they all dropped their attack preparations and took a deep breath: they were ready at last!

"Take the rest of this time to rest, for tonight you will rid the world of that abomination." Mu Gong announced as they walked away to the door, Mu Gong smirked; kicking into his hand a spear from a fallen weapon's rack and hurled it at Helen. In a blur of movement, Matthew tossed up his cloak, making the spear spark off of it and hit the ground while Helen teleported to him, holding a swirling blast of ice in her hand which was mere inches from his face.

"_The Golden Gaia? They truly are the Guardian's of Ossyria._" He thought

"Care to try that again Mu Gong?" Helen asked with the light in her eyes becoming dark and merciless. Mu Gong was unmoved, but he nodded his approval of their swift action against him in his attack.

"_They will be just fine._" he told himself as they left, crossing his arms behind himself. It had been a long time since someone, well; no one had really defeated him. The only one that ever really came close was No Gong, and even then it was a draw. But these youngsters were headed for something far beyond what even his years of hard training had taught him. Maybe he had miss read these young people, and really he was more jealous of them: so young and already so powerful.

"I guess this means I should become stronger, doesn't it Grandfather Mu Lung?" he asked to an old a weathered black ink painting hanging from the front wall of his room.

"Master Mu Gong! Master Mu Gong!" Called No Gong as he ran up to him, scrambling, unable to keep his balance in his great hurry.

"Master Mu Gong! The shadow creature has escaped!" Mu Gong's fur drooped: it had taken all of his skill and energy just to get that Shadow into the Dojo, and now that creature, who was just as powerful as he, was on the loose in Mu Lung.

"Minerva Help us. Guardians!"

* * *

The shadow flitted from tree to tree; snickering as it went, listening to the rustling leaves behind him as those pitiful Guardians tried to keep up with him. It was really amusing, staying just ahead of the ninja guardian by only a few feet and then would charge ahead, losing them for a while before they would find him again, starting the pattern all over again. When it got away from the guardians again, it stopped, waiting for them as it always did when someone appeared behind it. Quickly the shadow turned and bowed its head low to the ground.

"Master, I cause trouble for them. They get stronger." He said to the shadowy shape standing just outside the light.

"Yes, you have done well, my little shadow." The figure said as it reached out and placed a hand on the head of the shadow just as the five caught up to it.

"The Black Mage! I should have known that you were behind this shadow." Helen huffed. The Figure's glowing eyes smiled as he gathered black energy in his palm and then obliterated the shadow from existence while it screaming and groaning until the last of its body blew away into the wind.

"The Black Mage? Compared to me, he is nothing more than a man of smoke and mirrors. I wield true power, power that will make _me_ the one who is feared and respected." From the shadows, a man dressed in heavy blood red armor stepped forwards and waved his hand as flames roared into existence, making the five duck behind Olsen as he pulled up his cloak, holding back the flames.

"I will make The Mage bow before me in fear, I will ascend to the skies above Minerva. I am the Dragon Mage, Dragonoir!" He announced in a proud voice as Phoenix stopped his flames, gathering a red light around him and transforming back into a dark red dragon, its black horns pointing forwards as though guarding the sides of his ferocious teeth, dripping with saliva as he let loose a high pitched roar that made the trees sway. Dragonoir levitated to his dragon's neck and jerked his hands as though snapping reigns, making glowing chain links clank into existence from his hands and solidify around the dragon's horns. The five drew their weapons and tried to stand firm despite their entire bodies feeling frozen with fear; this foe was something that they had faced twice in the game as both a level 107 boss and a level 120 boss. In either case, they were nowhere near powerful enough to vanquish such a foe right now.

"Stand Firm! We can take him!" shouted Matthew and he tried in vain to stop his hands from shaking and his grip firm on the Lion's Fang.

"We'll see about that! To the skies Phoenix!" Dragonoir shouted as he snapped the reigns signaling the dragon to spread its wings and take to the sky in a hurricane of winds that blew over some of the trees and The Five. Once they regained their footing, Jack slammed his hands into fists, running up a leaning tree to the dragon that had circled around and was now descending with wings tucked in and plummeting with ever increasing speed. Leaving a dent in the tree, Jack leapt into the air and drew back his fist which glowed furiously with threads of fizzing red lightning sparking from his fist as he drove it forwards only to be met with an over whelming blast of fire from Phoenix and sent careening to the ground.

"JACK!" Helen shouted as she grit her teeth and began teleporting from tree to tree until she leapt into the air using multiple teleports to throw herself higher while Jenny readied from below with an emerald Wind Arrow that howled as it gathered power. Helen swung her staff hard, casting violet shards of ice at the dragon as Jenny let the humming arrow shoot into the sky, making small flakes of liquefied ozone fall to the ground. Dragonoir wrenched on the reigns and cast a booster spell that amplified Phoenix's fire blast a thousand fold and sent it up at Helen while Dragonoir dealt with the wind arrow being hurled at him, calling up a shield made of mana making the arrow at first strike it, then bend, crack and vanish. Once again he wrenched on the reigns, pulling Phoenix to aim at the ground which unleashed a beam of pure power that first charged on his tongue and then shot down on top of Jenny.

"JENNY NO!" Olsen screamed as he put all he had into running for he, but just before he could reach her, the beam hit, obliterating everything in its wide contact area and left the ground smoldering. Jack stared into the sky where Helen had been before and fell to his knees as the explosion where she had been before dissipated. Dragonoir snapped the reigns and started Phoenix flying again for another attack. Olsen bowed his head in rage and grief, his entire body shaking while the power of the Pink Quartz seeped from his body and engulfed him. Slow moving flames of hot pink smoldered around him until an explosion of power shot to the sky as the quartz power and his mana mixed together in a violent stream. With a blood curdling war cry he flashed from tree to tree, leaving scorch marks everywhere he went until he launched himself into the sky and hurled shuriken after shuriken at the dragon resembling comets as they flew. Matthew dropped his sword to the ground as his body shook in rage, growling as ruby power enveloped him and permeated the air. Picking his sword up with blood red tears falling from his eyes, the sword exploded into bright crimson light and unleashed a powerful Solar Scythe that sounded as if it cut the very air it flew through. Jack could only stand in stunned silence, trying to wrap his mind around the sight of watching Jenny being engulfed, wanting revenge for the girl that he… he… he loved, but at the same time unable to find the strength to do so.

"_I guess she wasn't just a friend._" Jack thought to himself as he stood back to his feet, digging deep within himself to find the will to rejoin the fight again this killer.

* * *

Evan walked through the village, visiting old friends and stopping here and there with Mir right at his side as though she were his body guard until something perked her senses, making her suddenly look to the west.

"Mir? What is it?" Evan asked looking up from the small trinket he examined.

"It's _him_ master. I can sense him. Not only that, but the Guardians are fighting him, and losing." A sad look came into Evan's eyes as he turned and began running for the edge of the village while Mir flew right behind, transforming into a dragon once she was past the threshold of the village.

"_Hang on guys, I'm on my way._"

* * *

Olsen hit the ground, followed by Jack and Matthew for the eighth time, struggling to get up out of their pit made at their impact. Jack held his upper right arm where it had broken, gritting his teeth against the pain and trying not to look at the huge bruise that erupted on his skin.

"Give up, you'll never be able to defeat me like this!" Dragonoir taunted. Jack grit his teeth and charged in again, using only is left arm which put him at a disadvantage since it was his weaker arm and striking the dragon a few times across the jaw. Phoenix turned his head back to him and growled in his throat, reaching his head out and grabbing Jack by the leg. Helen and Jenny finally teleported back to where the fight was taking place just as Jack was being picked up off the ground and swung around as though he were just a play thing, then slammed back to the ground. Once he hit, Helen watched in horror as Jack bounced off the ground, coughing a fountain of blood while his leg lay bloody and torn on the ground.

"You see! Even you are no match for the great Dragonoir!" He roared, holding his hand above his as though he had won a great victory. Helen ran over to Jack, kneeling down and began healing his wounds, using all the power that she had to close them.

"Helen… you're ok. I thought…" Helen put a finger to his lips and she continued healing his wounds, trying to heal them faster, but at her current level she was still a novice and was only able to close over the flesh wounds. Jack lifted his hand and pointed at their attackers as Phoenix inhaled and then spewed from his mouth a river of flames. Helen turned around and folded her hands as a violet cross appeared and absorbed the attack but was quickly overwhelmed as Dragonoir cast a boosting spell, braking Helen's Magic Wall and throwing her to the ground.

"You will all perish here and now! No one shall stand in my way! Not even the annoying Evan!" he screeched as he hauled on the reigns and flew up higher, gathering mana in his hand while Phoenix held his mouth open and drew in streaks of blue light as he charged a power beam, beginning to howl and scream as the power built on his tongue.

"Jack, come on, we need to get outta here. Matthew gimmie a hand!" Helen called as she pulled Jack's hand over her shoulder.

"Helen, just go. You'll be caught up in the blast if you stay here and try to help me. I'll try and buy you guys some time." Jack said as he pulled free and slumped to the ground, drawing his Rasfelt and calking back the hammer. Helen dropped to her knees beside him, putting down her staff.

"Helen! Come on! Let's go!" Matthew shouted as he tugged on Helen's arm.

"NO! I'm not leaving without Jack!" she screamed leaning over Jack as though shielding him.

"Then teleport the both of you outta here!"

"I would but I over did it and used all my mana saving Jenny from that blast! I only have enough mana for one person! And I can't just teleport another person without going too!" Helen pulled her arm out of Matthew's grip fighting back tears, but stopped as soon as she felt Jack's hand on hers.

"Helen, listen. If you stay here, you'll be killed as well. Just go and save yourself."

"Jack. I can't leave you. I…"

"I think I pushed my limits a little too far this time. You need to go ahead. Besides, I've got a few bullets, and can buy you some time to get away from the blast, ok?"

"No! I can't leave you. If you aren't there… It just won't be the same! If you can't go on with me, then we'll die here together." She managed to say, lowering her head down to his and meeting his lips with her own. Jenny and Olsen had already left, but even if Matthew started running right now, he wouldn't make it.

"_Then if you're staying, I'm staying. Lillianne, I'm sorry for this._" He thought as he drew his Lion's Fang, forcing all his remaining mana and a huge helping of ruby power into the blade, standing at the ready to guard against the blast, maybe even in a long shot, deflect it. Dragonoir threw his spell down in front of Phoenix who then threw his head down as the beam first left his mouth, then split the air with an ear piercing whistle. The heat bore down on Helen's back, heating every metal bit and screw on Matthew's armor, and melting the end of the Rasfelt as the beam descended.

"_At least, I've kissed the one I love._" Helen thought as the light enveloped them and Matthew braced himself for impact. The ensuring explosion ripped through the air in a swirl of clouds, fire and light, making the ground shake as far away as El Nath. However, something felt different to Helen, nothing like she thought death would be like; a small pulsing breeze played at her cheeks while a muffled voice seemed to be calling to her. When she opened her eyes, she was still leaning over Jack's body, pressing her lips to his but the light around her seemed to be doing something strange, like something was passing in and out of its beams. Slowly she sat back up and looked to the sun where the light was flashing. For a moment she couldn't see what it was that was making the light act so strange, but as the wing passed before the light, there before them was Evan and Mir.

"It looks like I showed up just in time. That blast would have killed you all for sure." He patted Mir's neck as she thrummed in her throat.

"EVAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" thundered Dragonior.

"What else? Protecting Ossyria from your ways!" Dragonoir snapped the reins on Phoenix's horns while Evan patted Mir's neck, sending the two Dragon Mages into battle once again, filling the skies with sparks and spells over and over again. Helen was relieved beyond words; she had expected to die here with Jack, and now, she was still alive. However there still was the matter of Dragonoir trying to kill her a short while ago, and the fact that… wait.

"Jack. Jack? Come on Jack this isn't funny." Helen urged, shaking him slightly then putting her ear to his chest, but she couldn't hear a heartbeat. Tears once again filled her eyes as she got up and propped him against a tree.

"Jack. I'm sorry, I never could figure out my feelings about. But now I know, I know… that I love you." She leaned in and kissed him once more, power from the Amethyst Crystal suddenly flowing freely within her body, seeping into every last cell of her being and washing over Jack as it emanated from her body like smoke. As she stood, her long hair exploded into a beautiful violet river of curls as it floated amid the power that drafted up into the air. She took up her staff once more, turning to Dragonoir and casting an ice spell freezing Phoenix's jaw shut. Evan looked back to see Helen, which now seemed even more dangerous than before since the crystal had now been unsealed and was at her disposal. Quickly he pulled o Mir's neck to get them out of the way as even more powerful spells were launched at Dragonoir. Dragonoir did his best to avoid the spells, even going so far as to block the incoming attacks. But his Magic Shield instantly collapsed from the sheer force of her power and made him fear for his life. Phoenix began charging his beam again, melting the ice that had formed around his muzzle when a violet seal began forming behind Helen, wrapped in threads of power as more and more layers of the seal began forming while a ball of energy gathered at the center. Helen held her staff forward and pulled back as something similar to her Sacred Arrow formed but was much more powerful, radiating an energy that felt as if just looking at it would defile it. Phoenix broke away the ice on his snout, hurling his head down as he released his beam of power just as Helen released her arrow, followed by a tremendously powerful beam of pure and sacred light which first stopped, then obliterated the beam from Phoenix. Once the light from the ensuing explosion had faded had passed, nothing remained of Dragonoir or Phoenix where they once hovered in the winds. For a few moments, Helen stood proud while the violet light around her faded and her hair drifted down into place, when her knees buckled; succumbing to the strain of using power far beyond what she was used to. However she never hit the ground when someone caught her under her arms.

"Stubborn girl. I told you to run. Next time, when I say run, I want you to run." Helen slowly turned around to meet Jack's familiar eyes that she had fallen in love with, all of his wounds completely healed and all his energy restored.

"It seems that in your momentary grief you've not only unsealed the Amethyst Crystal, but you've also tapped into the all power of resurrection." Evan said with an awe struck tone as he descended the skies, landing gently and hopping off while Mir transformed back into her human form.

"You DUMB ASS!" She screamed as she once again pushed her lips to Jack's , letting her tears of thankfulness flow while she held onto him as tight as she could, not wanting to let go of him ever again. Jenny and Olsen came back as Matthew woke up from having the wind knocked out of him, painfully sitting up and brushing the small patches of dirt off his armor.

"What happened? Shouldn't we all be dead?" He asked as he sheathed the Lion's Fang.

"If I had left Herb Town any later you would be. The explosion that occurred was because I met the blast with Mir's, basically canceling the other out." Evan explained. Matthew chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck and then caught sight of Helen and Jack, making his face fall.

"Great. I lost." Matthew muttered to himself, mentally preparing to be slammed with the deal he had made with Lillianne. Olsen was holding his side from a large bruise, but was alright despite it as he walked up to Evan and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"I think it's time you told us what's going on here Evan. Ever since we first met you, something about that red dragon rider, and the disappearance of your brother have been making me wonder. Not only that, but when you first came, you said that he was your enemy and your enemy alone. What are you hiding from us?" Evan hung his head as Mir placed a hand on his arm.

"Master, you don't…"

"No Mir. I think they deserve an explanation. What I said before about my brother going missing, wasn't entirely true. When I began training with Mir, a lot of attention was given to me which left Utah to do a lot of the chores around the farm and house by himself. For a while everything seemed alright, but what I didn't know, was that he was becoming extremely jealous over the fact that I was given so much attention being who I was, and yet he was the older brother and I was the one who was the chosen one to be the new Dragon Mage. Secretly he began researching magic on his own, figuring out spells and casting his own magic in secret. But for him, things didn't come as easily, and every attempt he made at trying to be like me often ended with him getting a lecture on how I did something better or different. After your parents left this world, he became fed up with trying to be noticed in Victoria, and set out on his own, traveling as far as the eastern most part of the Minar Forest. It was there that he nearly lost his life in the Ice Chasms of Minar near the Cave of Life. He was taken in by an old dragoness, kept warm and fed for a time which is where he met his dragon servant, Phoenix. The dragoness was nearing her end, and was waiting for someone to look after her young when she was gone, namely a trust worthy traveler and told him that if he were to continue on his path for greatness with Phoenix at his side, that he would be just as great as myself and Mir. Not long after that, the old Dragoness passed away and Phoenix was born. The two of them traveled from place to place learning how to make their connection strong and soon, they were performing basic spells together. However, a twisted dark wyvern who was the personal pet of Eleanor told them of power beyond their wildest imaginations: Black Magic. Quickly the two of them searched out anything that had to do with the forbidden art: they were consumed by it. Phoenix was turned into the beast that he is now, while Utah lost his corporeal body and became nothing more than dark vapors. When he returned, he had hoped that he would receive the same welcome and praise that I had. Instead, he was shunned and cursed. When Utah tried to say that he was just as powerful as I was, all he was shown were tears or hate, nothing like I was shown. Nothing went as he thought it would, rather it went completely opposite of what he wanted. Due to that, something in him snapped and he went on a rampage, destroying his farm that he had tended so carefully and killing every last pig that he had raised since it was a piglet. Many of the buildings were burned to the ground with people still trapped in them, and when he left he said:

"From this day forward, Utah is no more. From now on you will cower in fear to the name Dragonoir!" and with that he left, leaving to some of the most remote parts of the Minar Forest. Few who had gone to defeat him have come back, and those that had, died before the next sunrise. If only I had seen what was happening to him, I could have prevented his turning to the dark ways."

* * *

Dragonoir picked himself off the ground, rolling his head and shoulders, listening to them crack and click as they dropped back into joint. Phoenix lifted his head from the ground and nuzzled his master gently.

"It's alright Phoenix, I'm not injured." His violet eyes flashed with anger as he looked around at where he had been thrown to: the very place where he and Phoenix had met.

"i_To think that I, Dragonoir, was embarrassed so easily by a mere child. They will pay for defying me!,/i_" Dragonoir growled to himself. The Mage breathed a long, agitated sigh the crystal ball went dark and he turned to the Father Pixie, giving him a small vial of a swirling, dark red substance.

"What will this do?" he asked, holding the vial up to the light as Eleanor walked up to them and place her hands on The Mage's shoulder and explained.

"This will allow you to go into the rock where The Mage was sealed outside of time and space to search for the one thing that has eluded him for centuries: The Rubian."


	12. Chapter 11: Oberon and Aufheben

Chapter 11: Oberon and Aufheben, A Past in the Future

Orion, known in the past as Orbis, June 16th, 2021

Captain Edmond hurriedly entered the castle, putting his hat into the care of the guard maid May while he ran to the room of Lady Ashura, guarded by the Royal Guards armed with a prototype smart armor suits. He had just received word not long ago that she had given birth to twins both of whom emanated power the likes had never been seen before the Guardians of Ossyria. When he came in, the twins were sleeping soundly in their cribs next to Ashura's bed where she lay resting from the intense hours of labor. May came into the room, taking the katana from her back and set it aside, coming over to where the captain stood over the twins.

"What are their names?" the Edmond asked, brushing the back of his finger across one of their rosy cheeks.

"The one dressed in red is Oberon, and the one dressed in light blue if Aufheben. The two of them are beautiful: The father must be a handsome man to have fathered such beautiful children." May commented as she stroked Oberon's soft cheek.

"Not much is known about their father, except that he held great power of his own. I just hope that these two will be able to use the power given them to rule well." The captain said as he looked down on the two twins with doubts clouding his mind. Magicatia, once known as Magatia, had finally ended their long and arduous quarrel and were once again working together in creating new and better technologies in tandem with the Machinist from Masteria, which enabled them to research the smart armor and even more research into full androids, sparked by the drawing of a genius little girl to bring Ossyria into a better future. However the words of Andy the Time Traveler, Edmond's most trusted scout, kept haunting his mind about what waited for Ossyria in the possible future.

"_Oberon has gained some sort of power and was able to overthrow the kingdom in a single sweep of her sword with Dunas at her side!_" Another thing plagued his mind as he walked out of the castle where his two most trusted guards, Dunas and Asia waited for his return: would Andy try and prevent the future he had seen on his own? But many times Andy would come to Edmund with reports from his friend Nexus about how changing the past would not alter the present they already knew and the future they didn't.

"How is the Lady?" Dunas asked, pulling the hood from his head and setting the end of his staff on the ground.

"She is sleeping for now, and both children are well." Dunas and Asia sighed in contentment: They had been waiting for this day to come when their queen would birth her children, even though Dunas and Asia were demons and were very near immortal, they still were happy for Ashura and her new arrivals. From a dark alley, Andy stood watching the group leave and then eyed the castle which held the one girl he knew would one day be the ruin of Ossyria as he knew it, despite the warnings from Nexus.

"I must stop that future from coming to pass. If altering the past to change the present doesn't work, then maybe altering the present would change the future." He told himself, and walked away back to his duties, many though they were.

Nihan Plains, known in the past as Nihal Desert, March 8th, 2036

The girls had both become quite beautiful, maturing into their teens with grace beyond their years, and ferocity with the Plasma Great Sword they had been given by their old Master, So Gong. Not until they had reached their 6th birthday did it become apparent that whoever their father was, wasn't human. Both girls began to grow small horns with light colored feathers surrounding their base and grand wings that stretched quite far while their pure white color reflected the sunlight that beat down on the sands they trained on. Oberon brushed back her long and luscious pitch black locks of hair as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Aufheben, do you have any more water with you?" she asked, deactivating her sword and clipping it to her belt.

"Yes, I do. Speaking of which I think we should be heading back to Arenant. Asia and Dunas will be returning soon to let us know if we can go with them on their next mission. I hear that Magicatia is having a bit of trouble with their new D-type Mavericks." Aufheben was just a beautiful as Oberon, with the same pure white wings, but was crowned with a cascade of pale red hair that she tucked behind her ear.

"I think you just want to go back because Dunas is going to be there." Oberon teased.

"That's not the only reason." Aufheben shot back as she blushed.

"Well, if you two are able to still talk, you must still be able to train. No matter girls, I need to head back to Mu Lung for now. Some of my other students are waiting for me there. Tell your mother hello for me." So Gong called as the genie that brought people to Arenant, formerly known and Ariant, flew back with him in his hands.

"I still think he's and old goat." Aufheben laughed while the two of them came to the Road of the Setting Sun, leading them back to Arenant where just as Aufheben predicted, Asia and Dunas both waited for them to return. Once Aufheben caught sight of Dunas, she spread her wings and glided towards him, standing just before him with her hands behind her back innocently.

"Ashley, I trust that you and Oberon had a good training?" The two of them nodded as Dunas then put a hand on each of their heads, leaving something behind. They both reached up and pulled from their hair a gold band sporting a large ruby in Oberon's and a large garnet in Aufheben's which they quickly replaced.

"The word from Lady Ashura is that you may come with us in containing the Maverick. Your skills seemed to have improved enough that you should be able to handle these new D-type androids you need to defend yourself." Asia commented as they began their walk for Magicatia through the Arenant market place.

"What's wrong with them, do we know that?" Oberon asked, taking another drink of cool water.

"Apparently Maed created a new A.I. system for the D-type which mimics a human soul so that they would act closer to human soldiers rather than being a machine with one directive. However the A.I. also made the android able to defy orders, erase verbal base commands, as well and make them somewhat violent." Dunas replied.

"So why are we needed? It sounds like we're just going to watch." Aufheben commented. Dunas shook his head.

"The D-type managed to escape the lab and is running lose. On the down side to that it is fully capable of using any weapon, not to mention it is equipped with its own high output laser cannon and can fly. We were asked to demobilize it and bring the escaped Maverick back to the lab to be decommissioned and have the A.I. program tested and rewritten to hopefully keep the base commands embedded in the programming in case of malfunction." With a quick blur, Dunas disappeared as Asia did the same. Oberon and Aufheben spread their wings, flying as quickly as they could to catch up to their magus friends who were flitting across the hot sands in flashes and plumes of dust. When they reached Magicatia, the sight that greeted them was shocking, revealing some buildings burning while a few others were strewn in piles of rubble and broken wood.

"How many Mavericks did you say escaped?" Oberon asked in shock.

"Just one." Asia replied.

"One!? And it did all this!? How many was Magicatia going to make?!"

"One thousand: this _one_ unit was the prototype for the new A.I. system. As you can see, it's good that only one was created. THERE HE GOES!" Dunas shouted as he leaned into his step and disappeared, appearing above the Maverick and cast a binding spell which the android easily dodged. Asia ran to flank it, casting her own spell to push it towards the sisters who had already drawn their great swords and stood at the ready. The Maverick looked to Asia as she readied her attack and scanned her hands, analyzing what was about to take place at break neck speeds, scrolling across its vision commands and results.

"beginlinearA.1Scanning subject…/A.1linear=new

RAttack origin: hands /Rlinear=new

LKDType: energy/LKDlinear=new

: medium =new

A.2Attack plot: . /A.2endlinear."

Within a split second, the Maverick twisted its body to the right, avoiding the attack by Asia and then fired its cannon at her. The shot suddenly ricochet off of Oberon's sword as she flew up to guard her while Aufheben flew up behind it and raised her sword, ready to strike from above. Just as she was swinging down, the Maverick turned, scanned her actions and avoided her attack with a short burst of placement energy, making the android capable of moving short distances at near light speeds but at the cost of massive power consumption. A whistle cut through the air as the Maverick then swung its steel fist into Aufheben's gut and knocked every last ounce of air out of her.

"ASHLEY!" shouted Dunas, quickly appearing below her to catch her as she fell, trying to catch her breath. Oberon grit her teeth, flashing to the Maverick is bursts of speed as if she were teleporting, raising her sword up to strike the machine as it attempted to analyze her moves. However it was overwhelmed at her speed and simply went into a defensive mode, trying to block her swift and deadly attacks until it was simply unable to predict her moves. With one hard swing it was struck across the chest and sent spiraling to the exploding in a cloud of dust. The Maverick jerkily pulled itself from the ground while its cracked display fuzzed and snowed trying to formulate a plot. However the formulation took too long as Oberon raised her sword above her head and called up a large hex behind her, making her movements thousands of times heavier. She swung hard left, then swept her sword back right as she flitted forwards setting her up into her final move of spinning around and slamming her enormous sword onto the android in an earth shaking explosion. The Maverick lay in a broken pile of scrap while the solenoids and drive motors tried to pick the shattered android up, but failed as the power supply quit and the CPU shut down, sparks and hydraulic fluid falling to the ground.

"My my Oberon, when did you learn to control your sword's mass? With the last strike you dealt your sword grew to an enormous size." Asia asked thoroughly surprised.

"Aufheben taught it to me. It comes in handy when something isn't going your way. We've yet to come up with a name for the move yet. Are you ok sis?" she asked as she knelt down and tended to her sister who was still catching her breath with Dunas hovering over her like a worried mother.

"I'm ok Oberon. That Maverick had one hard hit; I thought he would go right through me."

"He would have if he had been fully operational. Just for the test it was limited to 40% of its full potential. If it had been one of the D2-types, A-types, or one of the new S-types, which are still in the research phase, all of us would have been dead." Dunas surmised gravely as he walked over to the smoldering pile of twisted and sparking metal, lifting it with a wave of his hand and started back for Maed's workshop.

"What did you do to it?! I asked you to bring the Maverick back to me, not a pile of scrap metal!" Maed roared as his now mostly mechanical body rolled over to it while the Machinist snaked himself over to them, scanning over the twisted pile.

"It doesn't look too bad Maed. The CPU is still intact and the drive core hasn't ruptured. All in all they did exactly as we asked."

"We still need to make a new prototype though." Maed mumbled as his small mechanical hands reached out and pulled the CPU from the crushed body while The Machinist went to work at disconnecting the Drive Core.

"How is Carson these days?" Aufheben asked. Maed shook his head and sighed, the mechanical lungs he had made wheezing as he did.

"He died peacefully just under a month ago. I tired offering him some of my technologies to extend his life, but his stubborn Zenumist pride wouldn't let me. He was both a bitter rival and good friend. If nothing else, he was fun to argue with." The small group left, heading back to the restored palace city of Orion by taking a long and scenic route which lead them through the garden province of Mu Lung and up to the mountains of El Nath where the mystic Crystal Ribbons floated in the sky like curtains of light. Oberon and Aufheben often liked coming to this place even if they didn't go as see their master So Gong: Oberon would dream of things far beyond the stars while Aufheben would let her imagination take her away on some story that had a romantic ending.

"Asia, You and Oberon go on ahead. Aufheben and I will catch up by tonight." Dunas whispered as he stopped behind them and looked out over the valley below where he stood, watching the sunset as it painted the sky in brilliant colors. Oberon was surprised at first when Asia asked her to come with her, but then made the connection once Asia told Aufheben that Dunas would like to speak with her. Just before the two of them left, Oberon whispered into Aufheben's ear:

"Just stay calm." And then flew away after Asia, leaving Aufheben rather confused as she walked back to where Duans was standing over what used to be known as the Forest of Death, now called The Dry Wood.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about Dunas?" Aufheben asked as she walked up beside him, overlooking the valley below them.

"Have you ever seen something so beautiful?" he asked. Aufheben turned to him for a moment and then looked back at the sunset, taking it in as the Crystal Ribbons floated over head.

"Not in a very long time." She said as she stared into oblivion watching the colors change as the sun sank down below its horizon pillow.

"I don't think anything could compare." She continued until she was surprised by Dunas sudden response.

"Don't sell yourself so short Ashley. I think that you are just as beautiful." Aufheben looked back at Dunas in surprise: was he comparing her to this sunset?

"W-w-what do you mean?" she asked in surprise. Dunas nervously looked from the ground to Aufheben as he spoke, sometimes even looking back at the sunset.

"Aufheben, I know that as a guard in Lady Ashura's army and being a demon of the Khyune Realm, I am somewhat cut off from being expected to have any kind of human emotions. However, in the years that your mother has entrusted me with your training, I've felt an attachment to you that I've never experienced with anyone. From what I have gathered from my trusted friends, this attachment is what you humans call, love. Forgive my lack of understanding in how to put what I feel into…" Aufheben stopped his words short as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him firmly, closing her ruby eyes and letting the sensation of having her one weakness tell her that he too felt the same as she did. It was one of the happiest days in her life. Oberon smiled: she was happy for her sister since she herself hadn't found the one that was for her just yet, and wasn't really sure that she ever really would. However, even further back in the tall pines that watched over the valley, Andy stood and watched Oberon with sharp eyes, watching her every movement like a hunter: he was convinced that the only way to prevent what would happen to Ossyria had to be dealt with by eliminating Oberon from the picture; but how? He racked his mind time and time again while he went on missions for Captain Edmond in time, but no matter what he thought of, the whole of Ossyria would be sent into war. Their ties with Leafre and the Hafrings had become strained when a shipment of red and black fruits made half of Orion come down with a deadly mana eating virus. So if he were to assassinate Oberon, it would make them a prime suspect since their relationship already weakened and plunge Ossyria into war. In fact anything he did might plunge them into war, but he had to do something. And then, he looked down at his pocket watch to check the time when it hit him, allowing him to keep Ossyria calm, but also get Oberon out of the picture. Snapping it shut, he ran off back to his house and began his plans which would need time, something he had an abundance of.

Orion, June 17th, 2041

Oberon rose from her slumber and stretched her arms and wings, feeling well rested after the previous night's small celebration of her and her sister's 20th birthday. A Royal Guard android and two Imperial guard androids stood at the foot of her bed as small red dots swept side to side while in their standby state. Maed had just finished a new A.I., proving better than his the beta D-type version which had very well near destroyed Magicatia.

"Enter full power." Oberon said as she climbed out of bed, making the androids stand quickly to attention.

"Lady Oberon. We are at your service." The three of them answered back.

"I trust that you had a pleasant sleep?" she asked as she began brushing her onyx locks of hair in front of the polished jade vanity she received from her mother as a birthday present.

"We don't require sleep, but since nothing note worthy happened in the previous 9 hours, then yes, we did." The Royal Guard replied in a slightly metallic voice.

"Oh, Austen. Must you stand guard at the foot of my bed every night? It's not like anything bad is going to happen."

"Tensions between Leafre and Orion have become quite high since another shipment from them a year ago made everyone sick with Celion Rash." One of the Imperial Guards responded.

"Yes yes I know, but really, what Harfring would have enough gall to come all the way to Orion just to assassinate me? They'd be spotted before they could get close. Not to mention that the new S-type security androids make it near impossible to eat or even go to the bathroom." She said pinning back her hair and setting her golden head band that held the majority of her bangs out of her face.

"You have to realize that it's only your mother just trying to protect her girls." Ashura replied cheekily, walking into the door making the androids stiffen to attention.

"You could at least have them back down a bit, Mother." Oberon laughed, hugging Ashura and then donning the breezy pink dress Aufheben had gotten for her so that the two of them would match.

"Is Aufheben out with Asia and Dunas again?" Oberon inquired while walking with Ashura to the balcony that over looked Orion.

"Yes, they just left a little while ago. Are you sure that you don't want to go with them? You have the potential and talent equal to that of Aufheben."

"Yes, I'm sure. Staying here in the palace as part of your security detail really feels like it suits me better. Besides, at least then I know that I can watch over you, since you are somewhat reckless when it comes to battle." Ashura raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, knowing that Oberon was right while walking to the aging Orion Tower where she had set up her throne with the statue of Minerva behind it, creating a beautiful scene to behold.

"Mother, what was my father like?" Oberon asked suddenly as she stood next to Ashura's throne, standing at the guard next to her. Ashura sighed with a wistful smile on her face as she thought back over the many years.

"You father, was… I don't know; he had this presence that was other worldly, magical almost about him. Everything that he said and did, it really made me feel like I was loved for whom I was rather than just another person of the royal lineage. He was a handsome, tall man with these riveting reddish brown eyes and pitch black hair. He always wore a hooded robe, but I could tell just from his grip that he was very physically strong." Ashura looked to a window while a faraway look of longing filled her eyes and a smile playing at her ruby lips.

"How did you two meet?" Oberon questioned interestedly.

"Well, to tell the truth, I was a bit of a rebel in my younger days; always sneaking out and making your grandmother Cygnus worry herself sick as I ran from building to building and then take a ship to Victoria until I came to a quaint little club called The Fusion in the middle of Klade, what was then Kerning City, where I would hang out until my ears hurt or I was blind stinking drunk, stumbling back to the castle, even though I had just been crowned as empress of Ossyria. However on this particular night, I wasn't really feeling the need to drink, so I just hung out with my friends that I had made there when _he_ walked in: the whole room seemed to change just by his presence. Even the song the DJ was playing quickly changed pace of tunes to something slower and less head splitting. No sooner had he walked in than he came right for me and began talking, me being completely enamored by him. I can't really say what it was accept love at first sight; he had said that he was a traveler of sorts on a pilgrimage to seek out powerful charms and spells, and that he had heard of a powerful charm that was hidden somewhere in the city. Being that he was from out of town, he needed someone to show him around. Since I had been there many times myself, I offered to show him around the city. It only seemed like a few moments to me, but that man stayed in the city for a week, while every day I would come and show him around the city, often times seeming more like we were on a date than a tour. However the rumored charm that he was seeking wasn't in the city after our week of searching and that he would be leaving in the morning. I of course didn't want him to go since he had already become a large part of my existence. I tried to convince him to let me come with him, but time and time again he would refuse, saying that he had read the future about me and said that if I were to come with him that it would be the end of my life. And so since it was decided that I might never see him again, I did the only thing that I felt that I could; I gave myself to him. That one night we spent together seemed to last for eternity. I don't know if it was my mind playing tricks on me from my mind bordering on pleasure insanity or what I saw was real, but it was nothing less than magical. Unfortunately when the next morning dawned, he had already left, but he left me thin note." She pulled a small folded piece of paper from her pocket and read over the faded ink and yellowing paper once again.

"'Ashura, you will always be with me, Your Friend.' That was the last I had seen of your father, so I can only assume that he died on his pilgrimage, or had simply forgotten about me. In either case, I have no regrets, and he even brought me the two most wonderful daughters in the world that I could ask for; one is my own personal guard and the other is on the borders standing guard with Asia and Dunas." Ashura looked over to her and smiled.

"You look much like he did Oberon." Ashura sighed. Oberon smiled and knelt down, laying her head across Ashura's lap while Ashura stroked Oberon's hair when Andy walked into the throne room.

"Andy. What brings you here?" Ashura asked while Oberon stood back to her post, straightening her dress and making sure that her plasma great sword was attached to her belt.

"Actually, I have come to ask something of Lady Oberon." Oberon tilted her head in surprise.

"Of me?" She quickly looked to her mother who nodded her approval.

"Don't worry about me Oberon. The Royal and Imperial guards will be here to stand guard over me should anything happen." Shifting her wings slightly, Oberon walked after Andy who led her into the cloud park where Elliza's grave stone stood. Oberon walked ahead of Andy a bit to pay her respects to the guardian beast of Minerva.

"What is it that you wanted…" Andy quickly walked up behind her and covered her mouth with a damp towel, making something foul plunge into her nostrils. Oberon tried to fight back, but quickly lost consciousness as the chloroform spread through her body, knocking her out within a few seconds.

"_Now comes the hard part._" Andy thought as he picked her up and made his way to a small skiff he had prepared just around the corner from where he was, setting her down in it and untying the skiff, setting them on a course for the Tera Forest and the Time Gate where he could be rid of Oberon once and for all, preventing the future that he had seen. From time to time, Andy made sure that Oberon would be at least asleep, waking her just enough from her slumber to drink some water or to eat a small portion of food since the skiff was so slow and small. Due to the skiff, they often had to stop and hide along the inner most coast of the Ossyria continent, making the trip last four days. On the morning of the fifth day, they finally arrived at the Time Gate: Andy gently carried Oberon to the ground just before the Time Gate, then went back to the skiff covering it in branches and shutting off the levi-stone heaters so that the ship stayed well hidden and so the power core wouldn't be drained. He checked his pocket once more feeling for his pocket watch that rested there, then walked to the clock face of the Time Gate, pulling levers and twisting knobs that buzzed and clicked until the entire face unlocked and opened as steam hissed from the opening revealing the swirl of Time's Energy. Even though Ludibrum had been designated as the center of all time flow in Ossyria, the Time Gate allowed one to travel into the Center of All Time and go to any one time period of any world. Quickly Andy picked Oberon up and made his way through the vortex, swallowing them both like water, watching as picture frames of different times and places flew past him until he suddenly stopped. Silence hung thick in the air as everything here since the beginning of time immemorial had remained the same: Andy knew this place well, and had come to know it as his second home, a place outside of time where he could think.

"Are you there!?" Andy called into the dead silent room, his voice carrying many times over into the distance when from somewhere in the great expanse an irritated growl arose.

"What is it that you want?" a rough voice asked as sounds of paws scraping the ground floated through the air accompanied by joints popping.

"A Time traveler; I wish to go to a time in the past." The blue-grey beast grunted as it pulled its tired body from the ground and walked over him, thrumming in his throat as Nexus came.

"I should have known it was you Andy." He growled as he then caught sight of Oberon.

"I thought you said it was just you."

"Gatekeeper Nexus: I'm sure that you are aware of what happens to Ossyria because of this woman. I have come to make sure that future never happens." Nexus looked her over, and shook his head.

"Of course I know what happens. But as a friend, I urge you to take her back to Orion."

"IF I DO THAT THEN ALL OF OSSYRIA WILL BE THROWN INTO CHAOS AND BLOODSHED! Please Nexus, Just let me pass with her." Nexus shook his head again and closed his saddened eyes.

"Very well. But she must pay the Toll."

"Toll? What Toll? You never said anything about a Toll before."

"I never said anything because you had the Time Keeper's Stopwatch, a badge of sorts that allowed the Sages of Time in the days of Olde Sapp to travel to other times without paying a Toll to make sure that they were not creating a destructive future. However, if one does not have that watch they must give up something that will serve as payment to travel from their time, to another, and back. One watch works for only one person, and since she has none, she must pay a Toll." Nexus looked over her again and again.

"Why not take her head band: it must be worth a fortune."

"No; material things do not count as a toll." He looked over her once more and nodded.

"The Toll she must pay is the years she has lived."

"You mean she's going to die!?" Andy shouted.

"No, she will remain unharmed. The years she has lived will be taken back and her memories will be suppressed; she will start a new life as an infant in the new time she is brought to since she will have no memory of the events leading up to her waking up." Nexus picked his paw up and held it over Oberon, making her levitate out of Andy's hands. Her body was they surrounded in a silvery blue light which then gathered into Nexus' paw while her form shrank down until she was just an infant, no older than two or three months. The time that Nexus had gathered, he then dropped into something that resembled a well when Oberon began to squirm and fuss as Andy wrapped her in the dress and tucked her headband and plasma sword into the dress.

"So she has awakened. When would you like to go Andy?" Nexus asked, a slight hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Sometime before the Black Mage came back to power. At least then she'll have a good life." Nexus shook his head, then swung his mighty paw as he tore open a gateway that would lead to the time he requested. Andy was just stepping through the tear when Nexus put his paw on his shoulder.

"I have let you pass through time unaffected. But be warned, if you should come through the Time Gate without that watch, the time and tolls that you have avoided will come upon you, and you will die." Andy smiled and nodded his understanding and passed through, the tear flashing out of existence.

"Since I am the Gatekeeper of All Time, I cannot interfere. But what you have tried to avoid Andy, you just made possible." Nexus hung his head, and walked back to his bed of rocks where he lay down and slept again, waiting for his next time traveler. Since he was at the center of time, it could be as little a few seconds, or as long as a thousand years and he wouldn't know the difference.

* * *

Aufheben, Dunas and Asia returned from their week long shift of watching the gates of Orion, feeling somewhat relieved that nothing major had happened, unless you call a drifting, unmanned skiff major. Immediately the three of them went to the throne room and reported everything that had happened.

"Well done my guards." Ashura said as she stood from the throne and greeted each of them warmly.

"There are some Legends here that you may want to meet." She said with a mysterious smile in her voice, leading them to the Conference Building which used to house the guild management association. When they entered, before them stood six middle aged humans each dressed in very fine armor and array of medals, carrying the legendary weapons of Ossyria as well as a young girl dressed in a red robe with short bob-cut, brunette hair adorned with a purple headband sporting small golden dragon's wings.

"Orion Guard, I want you to meet the Guardians of Ossyria." The three of them stood in awe: they had heard and read the stories about them and their adventures in defeating the Black Mage as young adults and how they were the only ones to ever dawn the legendary armors created by Minerva herself. Quickly the three of them laid their weapons at their feet and bowed low to the ground.

"We are honored to meet such esteemed people of Ossyria." Dunas breathed. Matthew laughed in a deep voice and waved his hand.

"No no no, you don't have to bow to us." He said as he, Olsen and Helen reached down and stood them to their feet.

"We are here just to see what's been going on in Orion." Lillianne laughed, setting the end of her heavy, finely decorated halberd down and resting her gauntlet on Matthew's shoulder.

"For a formal introduction I give you, Olsen and Jenny Da'Lor: Ninja and Archer. Matthew and Lillianne Drake, Warrior and Daughter of Aran and Lilin. Jack and Helen Waterman, Pirate and Sage. And this young one here is Eva, daughter of Evan and Mir." The lot of them talked long into the night, sharing stories of adventures and dangers that each of them had faced, even continuing to talk after dinner had been served and cleaned up.

"So tell me, did you guys have any kids?" Aufheben asked. Olsen looked back at Jenny and laced his fingers into hers.

"We all did, however we dropped them off at their friend's House, Nu Gong." Olsen replied, smiling until he noticed that Ashura seemed to be restless or worried.

"Is something wrong Empress Ashura?"

"I don't think so. My daughter Princess Oberon left with Andy about a week ago and has yet to return. She's been on missions before where she's been away for some time, even longer. But for some reason it just doesn't feel right." Aufheben raised her eye brows.

"With Andy? I didn't think he had any…"

"Lady Ashura! Lady Ashura!" A metallic voice said interrupting Aufheben as an A-type maverick accompanied by a few soldiers came running into the room.

"Yes, what is it." Ashura asked.

"One of the Over Lord Watch Units just sent me its surveillance footage with a flag." The maverick said, tapping its chest a hologram appeared, showing a video of a small ship leaving Cloud Park.

"That doesn't seem to be of any concern. It is just a Skiff. That type of boat flies around that area as patrol units." Asia commented, standing and taking a closer look at the hologram.

"That's what I surmised at first. However since it was flagged, I thought I should look at who was the one at the helm." The hologram froze for a moment and then blurred as the person at the helm became clear: Andy.

"If you continue to watch, it reveals that he is acting suspiciously, constantly watching over his back." the maverick continued.

"And you're just receiving this now!? He might have done something to Oberon! She could be anywhere by now!" exclaimed Aufheben.

"I can understand your frustration. But someone had placed a subroutine within the Overlord Backup protocols which blocked all the units from sending their data to the mainframe while a continuous loop of temporary files was inserted into the mainframe. Only this morning did those programs expire to allow a flood of data to come in. It nearly crashed the entire security system." Captain Edmond explained as he walked into the room, trying to catch his breath from running. Ashura and Aufheben thought hard about what it was they had seen: why would Andy be looking over his back? Unless…

"Check the projected area where the Skiff left from and…"

"That's already been done Lady Aufheben. Lady Oberon was nowhere to be seen." Aufheben looked at the hologram again and noticed a symbol on the side of the skiff.

"Maverick, wasn't a skiff taken down to the holding area at around 1 pm today?"

"Yes, why?" Aufheben grabbed Ashura's hand and lead them all down to the holding area just outside of the Orion Boarding Gate where a skiff floated amidst the waiting or abandoned cargo and items. Aufheben ran to the front of the skiff, running her hand over a symbol on the bow.

"This is the skiff that Andy was driving. Maverick, check the GPS logs." The Maverick jumped aboard, plugging its finger into the data port and quickly scanned through the logs, finding where it had been before in the last week.

"It says that it was in the Tera Forest. Why would Andy go there?" the Maverick asked, as Jenny's pet Cellion, Alden, came running up to Aufheben and rubbed its head on her arm as it purred loudly.

"Alden. Did you find something?" Jenny asked as the Cellion came over to Helen and gently pawed at her hand signaling that he had seen something. Helen knelt down and touched her head to his; letting a stream of images that Alden had seen flow into her mind showing what he thought Andy had done to Oberon.

"He says that Andy took Oberon in that skiff. If that thing went to the Tera Forest, then he might have gone to the Time Gate. Whatever he has planned for her, all we can do is wait. Andy's Stopwatch is the only one that exists now since we gave ours to Nexus years ago." Helen explained. Ashura became angry and ordered that a search party be sent to Leafre to search for Andy and Oberon. Aufheben looked to the south with a worried look in her eyes.

"Oberon, what happened to you?"

* * *

The time gate opened with protestant hiss allowing Andy to step into the Tera Forest of the past. All around he could see giant beetles, some of which had grown something that looked similar to armor around its outer shell. Pulling the watch from his pocket, he found the time that he was in, "May fourth, nineteen hundred ninety" read across the small display at the bottom of the face.

"Good, at least 20 years before the mage comes back to power. Hopefully, this will prevent anything from happening." Carefully he made his way around the large beetles until he came to a small forest village where small furry creatures ran from here to there tending to a myriad of different eggs. Andy flipped down a small screen from his communicator, scanning the area and the creatures that tended the eggs until he recognized the creatures as the Hafrings they had tensions with further in the future. Quickly he put his communicator back and then ducked down below the brush, pushing the now little Oberon out into their village. Oberon was asleep at the moment, wrapped in the dress as a blanket she had been wearing when Andy took her. It seemed that the Hafrings were too busy to notice Oberon, and so with a quick yet firm jab from Andy, Oberon opened her ruby eyes and let out a frightened cry. Andy quickly turned and ran, climbing up a tree and staying hidden while watching to see what the Hafrings would do with Oberon. One of the Hafrings quickly came over and tried its best to cradle the small bundle which was nearly as big as itself.

"Master Giant! Chief Tatamo! Come quickly!" the small Hafring said in a squeaky voice. From somewhere back in the village the chief and another human walked to where Oberon had been found.

"What is it Ito?" the chief asked, brushing aside his long braided mustache.

"Look, it's a human baby." Ito replied. The chief and man walked over to him, the Man crouching down as he wiped off his hands with a rag from tending to a newly hatched dragon.

"Who would leave a defenseless human baby in the middle of the Minar Forest Master Giant?" Tatamo asked in a dry voice.

"I don't know. Maybe someone set it down for a moment but it rolled away when it fussed or something. HELLO!" Giant called, with no response.

"We can't just leave her here Eldan." Ito pleaded.

"I know, I know. But we really don't have the resources to take care of a human baby." Eldan reached out his hand and stroked Oberon's soft cheek, instantly making her stop crying and look up at Eldan with a bright smile. Eldan could resist and picked her up out of Ito's hold, holding her in the crook of his arm while Ito climbed up to Eldan's shoulder to look at her.

"I suppose I could care for it until someone comes for it." Eldan smiled as he put his finger out, allowing Oberon to wrap her tiny hand around his finger.

"What are you going to name, her."

"Her?" asked Eldan and he looked down to Tatamo.

"I figure since the blanket she's wrapped in is pink, which also happens to be a dress." Eldan looked down at her and shrugged: Tatamo's reasoning made sense.

"I don't know. What name would you like little one?" he asked as she locked eyes with him until a gold hair band with a giant ruby caught his eye etched with something. He ran his hand over the lettering and read the name, Oberon.

"Oberon. Is that your name little Oberon?" Oberon smiled a giant toothless smile as Eldan smiled back.

"Hello Oberon, My name's Eldan Giant." He said as he took her back to his tree hut.

"_Eldan Giant. Hm, I have no doubt now the life she will lead will be a happy one._" Andy thought as he climbed down and began to carefully make his way back to the Time Gate when he stepped on a unseen twig, startling the giant beetles that were around him into a frenzy of shooting powerful energy beams from their horns, missing Andy as he ran from place to place just trying to avoid being hit. Despite their size, the giant bugs were quite fast, not even giving him enough time to stop and form an attack plot. After a few minutes, he finally managed to hide for long enough to catch his breath while the bugs clicked and squeaked as they searched for him. Andy reached into his cloak and pulled a plasma pistol, quietly pulling back the cooling slider to activate the gun then burst from his hiding spot and opened fire onto the beetles that surrounded him. Energy beams and plasma bolts filled the air as Andy ran from hiding spot to hiding spot, firing at what looked to be their leader: A single beetle that had something that resembled steel armor all over it. As he moved, he suddenly landed a shot on the lead beetle, the loud high pitched roars giving away that he had hit flesh. Andy stopped and opened fire on the beetle, melting through parts of his armor and blasting away at his fleshy under body until the beetle turned it head to the sky and landed on its back. Once he was downed, the others simply ran back into the forest, squealing and clicking as they went. Setting the pistol down to cool, Andy sat down and began trying to catch his breath while using the end of his cloak to wipe the sweat from his forehead. When at last the billet pistol cooled, he put it back in the holster and began making his way to the Time Gate which happened to be no more than a few yards from where he had killed the beetle. Out of habit he decided to check his pocket for the Stopwatch, but, where was it? Was it in his other pocket? He quickly checked his left pocket: nothing there. Did he put it in one of his cloak pockets? Checking the pockets on the inside, he felt all over for it, but still nothing came up. Franticly he searched for the watch, all around the area he had been, retracing his steps all the way to Leafre, but still with no luck and no watch. He thought about going through by himself back to 2041, but the warning from Nexus played back in his mind:

"_ … the time and tolls that you have avoided will come upon you, and you will die_." Andy hung his head. He was stuck here in 1990, with no way of getting back to when he had come from, not to mention that he had wanted to get away from Oberon before she grew up again and maybe remembered what Andy had done to her.

"If I'm going to be stuck here, I might as well try and live here." He mumbled to himself, beginning his long walk to Orbis, where he could at least be "near" his own time.

* * *

The years that Oberon spent with Eldan were something that he himself had often contemplated; getting out of Leafre and settling down with a woman from somewhere beyond the forest and starting a family. But he had found all he needed in taking care of Oberon as she grew up with Eldan and the Hafrings, taking care of the Dragon's Eggs despite her unique appearance with small horns and wings. She felt right at home since the Hafrings and Eldan didn't match either, allowing her to not feel so conspicuous. She soon found that she had abilities and powers, abilities that no one else had such as the ability to send a powerful shock wave careening through the air with the mere sweep of her hand, or the uncanny skill with the plasma great sword found with her, able to strike down even the most experienced of sword masters with ease and grace which she used in fighting off any attackers of Learfre. All too soon however, Oberon was a teen and becoming a very beautiful woman that even some of the travelers would be attracted to. Time after time though, she would turn them down, only because she wanted a man that was like her father: Strong, brave and fearless in the face of danger, yet gentle enough to dry your tears and hold you close. All was well until the day after her 20th birthday, when Eldan gave her a new plasma sword and necklace which sported a large ruby to match her head band. Oberon and Eldan were out in the forest gathering herbs to make more medicines and potions for the Hafrings to use on the newly hatched dragons or to use on any wound they had received. In his years of working with the Hafrings, Eldan had become famous for his brews, so famous in fact that Tae Sang and Dr. Faymos came and trained under him for a year. Eldan was reaching for more red thyme when a silky woman's voice caught him off guard.

"Are you Eldan Giant the famous potion and medicine maker?" the woman asked, pulling back her hood and revealing her young face, alluring red eyes and snow white hair.

"If you know so much, then who would like to know?" Eldan asked, continuing to gather the herbs while periodically looking up at her from under his brow. The woman smiled as she stepped closer to him and held out black nail tipped fingers while the red thyme pulled from the ground and slowly descended into Eldan's basket. The woman was about to introduce herself when Oberon came walking up with two different plants in her hand.

"Hey dad, which one of these did you say was the…" She suddenly stopped short when she saw the woman standing before her father: something about her was familiar, but only as a passing feeling as though it were déjà vu.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are Oberon. Am I correct?" the woman asked, smiling slightly as she walked over to her and ran the tip of her finger across her jaw line.

"Such exquisite beauty. I can see where she gets it from; her father must be an extremely handsome man." She softly stated until Eldan grabbed the woman's hand and pulled it away from Oberon.

"Don't touch my daughter." He growled. Stepping between Oberon and the woman.

"Is she really _your_ daughter?" the woman smiled as she asked. Oberon looked to Eldan and then back to the woman.

"Dad? What does she mean?" Eldan was about to explain when the woman cut him off.

"No matter. My name is Eleanor, momentary leader of the Black Wings. My master requires your assistance. Resisting or refusal is useless."

"What master?"

"The Black Mage of course. You didn't honestly think that the Black Wings would have any other leader did you? Now come, we're wasting time. Whatever objections you have, you may speak them directly to him." Eleanor raised her hand, making her gold staff appear which began to glow at the top.

"OBERON! RUN!" Eldan commanded, but before they had taken a step, they were already transported to another place, a dark place deep within a forest where towering trees were all around them and luminescent fungus turned everything they saw an ire and cold shade of blue. The undead solders, the huge Skelegons, pushed them back as Eleanor led them deeper into the caves, to the bottom of the Sleeping Wood. When they had reached the bottom, Eleanor ordered them to wait outside an ancient looking temple where Eleanor was swallowed by the shadows. Eldan looked around for an escape, but even turning his head made the skelegons tense, standing at the ready to tear him to shreds with their boney claws.

"Oberon, when Eleanor implied that you aren't my daughter, she wasn't far from the truth: 20 years ago yesterday, I found you in the forest as a baby. I promised that I would take care of you until someone came for you, but you grew up so fast that before I knew it, you were _my _little girl. The truth of the matter is that I am not your real father." Oberon smiled and took a step closer to him, putting her hands around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's alright. For a while now I've had questions arising in my mind about whether or not you are really my father. Every time I look in the mirror I can't see the resemblance, not to mention that you don't have any slight hint of the abilities that I do. But now that you tell me that you aren't my real father, I feel better. On top of that I have felt attracted to you, but since you were my dad I tried to dismiss such thoughts. Now, I don't have to." She said, looking up at Eldan with loving eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck and slowly moved in closer.

"You do know that this is going to be a bit strange for me." Eldan replied, putting a finger to her lips. Oberon smiled and backed down.

"Yes, but you'll get used to it." Oberon smiled until Eleanor called them into the room where a large rock with an ancient symbol had been hued into it while a cloud of sinister whispers seemed to come from nowhere. Eldan looked around, unsure as to what was happening when another rise of whispers filled the room and Eleanor nodded, placing a hand on the rock and making her eyes glow with a black light.

"Eldan Giant, the world famous medicine man, and Oberon his daughter; I have waited a long, long time to meet the both of you. Eleanor is my apprentice and an excellent master of potions herself; however she is unable to create the rare Sorcerer's Elixir. Since you are a master of such things, I require your help. As a reward, I will grant you and teach you powers beyond what you could imagine." Eleanor's voice was masked over with a deeper, more sinister whisper as she spoke making Oberon's and Eldan's skin flare hard with goose bumps.

"Thanks but no thanks. I already have all I need in Oberon." Eldan shot back. The rock glowed blackish red for a moment and then settled down.

"Very well. Eleanor, destroy Leafre." Eleanor pulled her hand from the stone and was about to activate her transport spell when Eldan stopped her.

"Wait! Don't destroy Leafre; the Hafrings are defenseless and peaceful creatures who care for the dragon's eggs until they hatch. What can I do to make you not destroy them?" Eleanor put her hand back on the stone once more as her brow lowered, and her voice became more commanding.

"I will spare Leafre. In return, you _will_ make the Sorcerer's Elixir." Eldan bowed his head and nodded. He knew that he would later regret this; he had heard the stories and legends about what the Black Mage was capable of, but if it saved Leafre for the moment then he would follow along and be the man that was needed. Oberon became impatient and stepped forwards.

"How dare you back Eldan into a corner like that! And what am I doing here anyway? You just need that Sorcerer's Elixir right? Once we make it for you…" Eleanor held up her hand and hit her with a small spell, enough so that it was more like a shove than an actual hit.

"That's where you're wrong Obreon. I have a very necessary role for you to play in my plans."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me Oberon, do you have any memories of your mother Ashura?" at the mention of the name Oberon's head began to pound while images of a young woman holding her in the crook of her arm shot through her mind, and another of her walking beside Ashura while gathering flowers, or of her first birthday.

"Or of your sister Aufheben?" Eleanor asked, still with the sinister whisper just behind her voice. Again the splitting headache came back with even more images of a girl with red hair that looked just like her playing with her or later sparing with her in sword play.

"Or even of living in Orion!?" At the mention of it, Oberon collapsed to the ground as all of it came rushing back to her in a flood making her stomach turn and launching her into dry heaves as she assimilated everything that had been suppressed in her mind.

"Yes, that's right Oberon. You were the daughter of the Empress of Ossyria, Ashura. So why hasn't your mother or her guards come for you?" the Black Mage asked through Eleanor.

"She doesn't know where I am! She doesn't even know I'm missing yet!"

"Oberon, it's been nearly twenty years since you went missing and not one person has come through the Time Gate looking for you: Not your mother, not your sister, not even your pitiful Royal Guards. Aufheben was destined to become the new Empress, but she saw you as a threat and found a way to be rid of you so that her rise to the throne by sending you back in time would be unhindered. She doesn't miss you; she abandoned you, her own twin sister."

"No, not Aufheben. She wouldn't be that cruel! That isn't like her!"

"Then explain to me why she hasn't come looking for you? Or sent any guards after you through the Time Gate? She wanted you gone from the bottom of her black heart." The Mage's words hit Oberon like thousands of punches making her hurt all over as what the Mage said began to sink in. With an almost motherly property, Eleanor placed her hand on her shoulder, kneeling down to her level but still having one hand placed on the stone.

"If you pledge yourself to my service, I will never leave you so alone. And as a reward, I will give you the power to overthrow her and take the throne for yourself."

"How… how do you know that my sister wanted me out of the way?" Oberon asked in a last attempt to prove what The Mage was saying wasn't true, shakily standing to her feet. Eleanor held out her hand as an image of Aufheben came up, laughing and playing with some of the villagers in a town fair, or signing documents while seated on the throne.

"You see, she doesn't even miss you." Eleanor's voice growled. Oberon was both grief stricken and furious at what she had been told: all that time she had spent with her sister was just a lie, a set up! The strength in her knees left her, making her fall to the ground once again and hold herself while tears fell from behind her hands as she covered her face. Eldan knelt down behind her and put his arms around her, comforting her as best he knew how.

"If you say that you will give me power, then let me have it. I will destroy Aufheben!" No one could see, but a smile spread on the Black Mage's face from beneath the rock he was sealed under.

"It will take time, but I will train you to use the power I will give you to its full potential and how to control it so that you will remain as you are now." Eleanor said, reaching out and touching her shoulder once again as something felt like it was shooting through her entire body. For a moment, everything went black, and then she could hear the whispers that had first hung in the air, but this time, the multitude of whispers were clear and she could hear what it was The Mage was asking.

"Yes master, I can hear you, and I pledge my allegiance to you until the day I die."

* * *

Orion, September 5th, 2099

Aufheben walked out onto the balcony that over looked Orion, and even further, the El Nath mountains as well as the crystal ribbons that floated over them making her think back to when her sister Oberon had told her to stay calm Before Dunas told her how he felt. It had been fifty eight years since she had gone missing; all the soldiers had given up on the search when the first year went by, but she, Asia and Dunas secretly went out one night every two weeks and searched for any trace of Oberon.

"Oh Oberon, if only you were here right now." Aufheben sighed as Dunas walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist.

"Ashley, don't you think we should stop the search? It's been well over fifty years since she went missing and still no clues about her disappearance have come up."

"We can't give up just yet Dunas. I know she's out there somewhere. I just wish that I had been there for her. She must have been so scared." Aufheben assumed, putting her hands on top of Dunas' and getting a faraway look in her eyes. Even though Dunas was partial to giving up the search, he hated seeing his Ashley like this.

"Tell you what; I'll personally take some D2-type Mavericks to the Time gate and see if Nexus has seen any of her." Aufheben smiled as the thought comforted her, but she turned around and shook her head.

"No, you're right Dunas, its time that we gave up the search."

"I'm sure that Oberon would want you to live your life." The now aged Ashura said, setting the end of her cross spear on the ground like a staff and leaning against it.

"Mother, what are you doing walking around carrying that heavy thing? You know what Maed told you about that."

"Oh give an old war empress some slack. What amazes me is that you haven't aged a day Aufheben, not a single day since your 16th birthday. I bet it has something to do with your father." Ashura commented in a dry voice.

"I on the other hand, am not so immortal." Dunas said as he pulled the long glove from his right arm revealing a mechanical prosthetic, the seam where it connected to his flesh still in the early stages of healing.

"Dunas! What happened?" Aufheben asked in horror as she looked over his arm.

"We lost control of The Bergamot sentry and it began attacking the workers in the dock: Asia and I fought it off but in the ensuing battle, one of its missiles took my arm. Luckily we were able to destroy it while Asia managed to keep my wound stable. But by the time we got to Orion, they said it was too late to sew my arm back on. So the only other option we had was to go the Magcatia and have this fit." Aufheben shook her head and then kissed the cold steel wrist.

"You have to tell me these things Dunas. You know that I worry since I can't go with you as much I used to." She said, running her hand up the cold metallic skin. Dunas put a finger under her chin so that she could look him in the eyes.

"Don't try to make me a replacement for Oberon."

* * *

Sleeping Wood Dungeon, December 7, 2010

Oberon landed on the glowing blue rocks and handed the last of the chamomile to Eldan who was mixing the last few ingredients together to make the Sorcerer's Elixir. He then took the chamomile and ground it into a blood colored liquid, finally pouring it into a fine glass bottle and putting the cap on, shaking it vigorously and making it glow with a pale pink light.

"Is it ready?" Eleanor asked, as she sauntered into Eldan's lab where drying herbs and creature's appendages hung from the rocky ceiling.

"Yes." He replied apologetically, handing the bottle to Eleanor.

"Good work Eldan. I'm sure the Mage will grant you power far beyond what you expected. And you Oberon have been trained well in using your new powers as a Black Wings disciple while bringing Edelstein under our control. Those damned knights of the Empress will pay for making a fool out of me! Oh!" Eleanor clutched at her side which was still a bit sore from a healing wound that had been dealt by fighting the Knights who had very well nearly killed her. Had she not stolen the dark crystal before hand to use its power and escape, she wouldn't have made it out alive. Oberon bowed low as bluish black flames flared in her hands.

"It is my pleasure to serve the Black Mage. Without the protection of the Five Masters to aid Aran, That pesky Evan and the Knights will be nothing." She said as she once again stood and walked over to Eldan, kissing his cheek and following Eleanor to the Black Mage's seal where they were greeted with pleased whispers from the stone. Eleanor walked a few paces away from the stone, taking the cork from the pungent potion and pouring it over the dark crystal while chanting in the ancient Sharenian language, making the crystal glow brightly. The moss died away where she stood as the power of the Dark Crystal became even more potent. Just as Eleanor finished, she hurled the crystal as if it were Tobi making it dig into the rock which made cracks of dark light to appear in it. Quickly the cracks spread across the giant boulder while The Mage could be heard laughing in an ethereal voice of pure ecstasy of finally being free from the prison that those damned Heroes had sealed him in.

"At last… HE IS FREE!" Eleanor shouted with glee as the rock that was once there was completely obliterated while black power flowed all over the world, making the very air they breathed tremble in fear while a column of black energy shot from where The Mage was, piercing through the miles of rock above him and engulfing the world in total darkness as the Mage rose from his prison. For years he had dreamed of being able to touch time once again: but his time in a place where time was meaningless allowed him to gather and perfect his power. When the release of his power subsided, everything was no longer the same: the entirety of Victoria had changed; entire villages had moved miles and short walks became dangerous treks. The training knights and heroes who fought off the onslaught of monsters attacking the towns were quickly overrun and killed by the thousands. The Black Mage then began his tirade of resurrecting those who had run amok while in his absence to use them for his own devices and plans to once again cast all of Ossyria into the fires of hell and create a new world where he would rule as the supreme deity. His next action was that of the destruction of Ereve, which was easily done since the Knights and Cygnus were away fighting. Once he had finished, he came back to Oberon and put a hand on her shoulder making a power surge through her body like she had never felt before, painful yet pleasurable. Oberon shivered as her new powers settled into her body, listening to the whispers of The Mage as he explained that she would not only be able to overthrow Aufheben, but that she would also be able to travel through time freely. The Black Mage then walked over to Eldan and waved his hand through the air and calling up a hex under him making Giant scream as light from the hex enveloped him, making his body begin to feel strange and heavy, not able to move quickly or precisely. When the light had subsided, it revealed a creature made of stone, with sagging cheeks, shoulders and an oversized body. He tired to speak, but all that came out were groans and mumbles.

"What have you done to him!" Oberon shouted as she rushed to his side, putting her hands over his shoulder to comfort him.

"The Mage has given him quite a large helping of his power, so much so in fact that in order for him to be returned to normal, someone must defeat him like this, and only then will his true power be realized." Eleanor explained, as The Mage's eyes grinned. Oberon looked away, trying to hide the tears that she felt hanging at the corners of her eyes: how could The Mage do something to someone that had just released him from the prison he was in? With a swing of her sword and a burst of her new power, she cut a hole in time and set one foot in.

"_Eldan, I'll be back for you. If you aren't back to your old self, I shall set you free, my love._" With that thought in mind, she pushed into the swirl of dark red to face her most painful enemy yet. Once the tear had winked out, The Black Mage fell to his hands and knees, completely exhausted.

"Master!" Eleanor cried out as she ran over to him, almost seeming worried over a lover. The Mage held up his hand as growling whispers surrounded them while he steadily stood to his feet once again.

"Then I will make a mana potion to help restore your power. Until it is fully restored, I think it would be wise if you would use the Dark Crystal as an alternate power source." Eleanor said, steadying The Mage when his step faltered slightly when he held up his hand and showed a picture of Edelstein.

"What could be there that you would need master? You have all the power you need to fulfill your plans for Ossyria." Eleanor questioned, but her only response was a long a happy sounding hiss while his eyes seemed to smile.

* * *

Orion, August 2, 2215

Aufheben brushed the knots out of her luscious red hair the moment that she awoke. 147 years had passed since Oberon disappeared, and still she looked just as young as ever. Many a time Aufheben had wondered if maybe she was part demon or something to account for her youth. But since her mother never did find out who or what her father was, she could only speculate. It had been 115 years since the passing of her mother, leaving her on the throne as Empress over Ossyria, in which many things had changed: technology had come so far that even humans and Androids were no longer distinguishable. The Machinist and Maed had created an A.I. program that resembled a human soul, and prosthetics had come such a long, long way allowing her love Dunas to stay alive though his many horrid and limb ripping battles. Because of his injuries, Dunas was now 74% machine; even his heart and lungs had been replaced by mechanical prostheses. Despite his bodily changes though, he was still the man that Aufheben loved. Suddenly one of the Imperial guards came bursting into the door.

"Empress Aufheben! Look outside; there is something strange hanging in the sky!" it said, making Aufheben run out of the double glass doors out on the balcony to see a swirl of dark red hovering in the middle of the sky. Dunas jumped up from the ground up to the balcony and stood behind Aufheben at the ready while Asia appeared next to him.

"What do you suppose that is Ashley?" Dunas asked, his actuators and circuits buzzing in anticipation for another battle.

"I don't know but I don't like it. Ready the Mavericks and have some of the Imperials to back them…" A thunderous noise split the air while a beam of black light shot down from the center of the whirlpool in the middle of Orion, causing a huge cloud of dust and rubble to fly into the air; people and fairies alike could be heard screaming as they ran away from whatever had landed there. Aufheben commanded Dunas and Asia to go ahead of her while she quickly ran back to her closet and threw on a dress then grabbed her plasma great sword as she flew after her friends, Dunas flitting from place to place using the now perfected Placement Energy while Asia teleported from building to building. When they arrived, a lone figure knelt amid the dust and rubble of the broken street: Dunas and Asia quickly surrounded the figure that slowly stood while the figure's long hair blew in the breeze that cleared the dust to reveal Oberon, sword drawn and humming as she pushed her newly received power into the blade making it turn an odd red color. Aufheben froze as her eyes went wide.

"Oberon? OBERON!" Aufheben shouted as she ran to her and wrapped her in a tight hug, tears falling as a water fall.

"Why didn't you come to get me?" Oberon asked, trembling in furry. Aufheben stopped and backed away to look her sister in the face.

"All that time you wanted me gone, and now that I'm back you're still playing the same trick! Pretending that you missed me while the whole time you just wanted me gone! You didn't want anyone to find out about your little scheme. Well I did, and now, I've come for my revenge!" in a powerful swing, Oberon sent Aufheben careening down the street, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

"Oberon! That's your sister! What are you doing!" Dunas shouted.

"My eyes have been opened to the truth Dunas. You are nothing to me!" Oberon blurred as she moved, making Dunas use the Placement energy to avoid her. Asia began her assault with a myriad of spells, but they were thrown aside as mere playthings as Oberon blocked each of the attacks with her sword or hand. Dunas recovered from his movement and transformed his arm into a Laser cannon, the same as the mavericks, and fired. Oberon turned to face the oncoming shot, but it was too fast for her to block in time.

"_Is this how it will end?_" she thought as she turned to still try and block the shot when the shot suddenly ricocheted off of Aufheben's blade and took down a building across the street.

"Ashely! What are you doing!" Dunas shouted. Asia took the opportunity and cast a strong Holy Beam spell, raining sacred light down onto Oberon, which was then cast aside once again by Aufheben.

"Empress!" Asia screamed, but Aufheben didn't acknowledge her or Dunas, standing with sadness in her eyes and tears in her voice as she spoke.

"Why Oberon? Why are you doing this? For nearly 60 years I searched for you after you had disappeared. Not only was I alone, I was afraid that you had been killed by Andy. Don't you know that I would do anything to get my sister back?" Aufheben asked as she turned to face Oberon. For a brief moment, Oberon felt that she had chosen the wrong path in coming back to this time until a voice echoed in her head.

"_It's all and act Oberon._" Gritting her teeth Oberon fought off the feeling of compassion she felt and held her palm to her.

"LIES!" she screamed, casting a powerful spell at her sister that neither Dunas nor Asia could block in time. Aufheben shut her eyes in reflex, suddenly realizing that she could no longer move. Opening her eyes she saw that everything looked glassed and distorted with a slight blue tint, but no matter how she tried she couldn't move. From where she was she could see Asia running up behind Obron, but was quickly dealt with by a swift cross strike across her gut, making blood spill to the ground and spew from her mouth as she careened into a building.

"ASIA! ASIAAAA!" Aufheben yelled, only having to stop from the sound rebounding into her own ears nearly making her deaf. She could barely see Dunas, but he crept up to behind Oberon as she turned around to face and speak to her sister once more which sounded muffled.

"I have gained power far beyond what you could imagine sister dearest. And now I will make you endure the same fate that I did: being alone with no one to come for you!" with a swift swing of her sword, another tear was created, big enough for Aufheben and her prison to be sent into the past. But before she did, Dunas watched her seem to whisper something to her and then throw her through the portal.

"ASHLEY!" Dunas called as he began running for the portal as it was closing, only to come within a hair's breadth before it completely flickered out of existence, tumbling on the ground behind where the portal had been a moment before. Dunas shook with rage as he retracted his laser cannon, making his mana begin to disperse into the air focusing it around his arms and fists.

"Why Oberon? Why would you do something like that to your own sister?"

"It is because she has become part of my family Dunas." Oberon's voice sounded strange, like a strange whisper was just under the surface of her voice. When he turned to look her in the eye, a dark red flame appeared to be flaring from her right eye.

"She, Aufheben, or as you like to call her, Ashley, will be fine so long as you do exactly as I say. This girl, Oberon was only using one tenth of her potential power, and yet she was able to dispose of all three of you, the Orion Guard, so easily. I'm disappointed: you don't live up to your name." Oberon said, smiling as the flame in her eye dissipated and the whisper in her voice disappearing.

"What is it that you want done?" Dunas growled as he stood, facing Oberon.

"Besides Aufheben, you are the only one that knows the missile launch codes. I want you to launch all of them on Ossyria: destroy it, glass it, and obliterate it."

"Oberon, what are you saying. You would never wish this even on the most despicable of worlds." Dunas protested when the flame and the whispter came back into her voice with a vengeance.

"Oberon has come under the command of the Black Mage, and obeys now one but I!Now launch the missiles, or Aufheben won't be alive for very long." Dunas hung his head: for so long he had fought to protect everyone in Ossyria from dangers amongst themselves, but yet the very danger that he thought had been dealt with two centuries ago, was standing before him.

"_Forgive me, Aufheben_." He thought before turning his head to the sky in a heart wrenching cry, tapping into the mainframe via his neural implants and beginning the launch sequence for every missile that had been stored in the mountains of El Nath as they came to the surface, steaming and ready to launch.

* * *

It was cold, so very cold and uncomfortable; despite her being stuck in her prison and sealed inside, it was cold. Something sounding like voices could be heard in the distance which slowly woke her up from her slumber. When she opened her eyes, everything that she could see was still distorted and blurred, but through the glass-like wall, she could see six young people dressed in different armor standing before her.

"Do you think it's the same as the game? You know, having to offer something on the alter before we can defeat her?" Aufheben recognized that voice, but it sounded younger, much younger. Looking harder through the distortion, she made out the flowing violet hair and striking blue eyes of the Guardian Mage, Helen. Aufheben's eyes went wide as she remembered meeting her but as a much older woman her own past, but that voice was the same then, and was the same now.

"Excuse me, but are you six, the Guardian's of Ossyria?"


	13. Chapter 12: Why?

Chapter 12: Why?

The return trip to Herb Town was a happy one for The Five: Helen had released her crystal's power, and she had brought Jack back from the dead, even going so far as to face off against Dragonoir and make him disappear. Evan had flown around the area looking for any signs of Dragonoir, but since nothing could be found they drew two conclusions: One was that Dragonoir had been completely obliterated and the other was that he had been hurled somewhere. Evan had managed to convince them that the latter was more plausible, but since it was getting late in the day they decided to head back before it got too dark rather than looking for him.

However the mood in Herb Town was quite somber and mellow, some people even seeming to have signs of crying still clinging to the edges of their eyes. As they went further in, more and more people seemed to be still crying, all of them gathered around a shelter near the area that had been burned down by Dragonoir. Matthew spotted Lillianne slowly walking through the village with her head down, dragging her pole arm which was slightly burnt and scratched as though she had smashed through boulders by the hundreds.

"Lillianne?" Matthew asked as he walked away from the group a bit towards her. Lillianne raised her head when she heard Matthew's voice, then all at once dropped her weapon and ran to Matthew, putting her arms around him and holding him tight as she sobbed into the cool steel breast plate of Matthew's Oaker armor. Matthew looked back to the rest of them with somber eyes and motioned with a jerk of his head for them to continue. As the other four left, Matthew did the best he knew to do to comfort her while she sobbed into the crook of his neck, as Lilin and Phyllia walked up to them, seeming to be drying their own tears.

"Lilin, what happened?" Matthew asked in a soft tone.

"Keeny has died. I don't know if you knew, but Keeny's health was always a bit unstable because of her half fairy heritage. When she was a baby she was stricken with an illness that very well nearly took her life. But her father, world famous Alchemist De Lang was able to create a cure for her. The only down side to it was that her immune system had taken a severe blow and in addition, the illness made her body somewhat frail. Humanoid-A kept a close eye on her everywhere she went, but just today she was running around one of her favorite fields for collecting flowers and she fell. Whatever it was she hit was enough to cause massive internal bleeding. Humanoid-A took her to Grendal for healing, but he said that the only thing that could be done for her was to make her as comfortable as possible; even his vast healing powers weren't enough." Lilin explained as Phyllia broke down into her own tears as Phyllia covered her face.

"My Keeny was so full of life, even with her unfortunate draw in life. She was all I had left; so what am I to do now Guardian Warrior!?" Phyllia asked through her tears. Matthew couldn't respond; he had met Keeny a few times and had even promised her that he would make her his flower girl if he ever got married someday. But now, she was gone, suddenly gone.

"_All this power that I'm supposed to have and yet I can't even save the people here in Herb Town._" His mind screamed while he put his arms around Lillianne, trying himself not to succumb to tears. Somehow he knew that this was only a small taste of what he would have to face in the future. The next couple of days went by in a saddened haze as The Five helped in preparing Shanks's Ship by changing the sails to black while building a temporary base on the center of the deck where Keeny would rest until they reached the since abandoned Palace city of Orbis, where Keeny would be laid to rest in the Fairy's Graveyard.

"What is death?" Humanoid-A asked as he helped Olsen set Snow Roses around the platform.

"Death, is… a lonely and greedy thing. It takes people away from you that you never wanted to let go of, never to see them again."

"So, is death a person? If that's the case, then we could go to them and ask for Keeny back." Humanoid-A said with a somewhat hope filled voice, placing the last rose on the platform and securing a string of them to the rim.

"No, it's not a person." Olsen responded flatly.

"Then what is it?"

"Death, is like a long, long sleep that you never wake up from."

"Then, Keeny is still alive?"

"No, she isn't. She's gone, never coming back; she will never run again, never smile again, never breath again. Death… is the absence of life." Olsen gravely finished while draping soft while cloth around the platform.

"So then, I am dead? I can move and talk and run and breathe, but I am a machine who is only programmed with certain human routines. So, am I dead?"

"For you, Death would be like; removing your power core and never putting it back." Olsen replied, jerking his hand back and sucking on his finger for a moment after pricking it on a thorn. Humanoid stopped and thought about what Olsen had told him, trying to wrap his mind around what he had been told: Death is a sleep, but it's not. Death takes people away from you, but it isn't a person that you can ask for the people back. And then it seemed to make sense as he stood up getting a saddened look in his eyes.

"I understand now: Death is… Death is… Death is going away. Just like the flowers that Keeny always picked: no matter how much water we gave them, eventually they wilted, they died. Even the Alchemy of the Zenumists couldn't bring back the flowers. Keeny was like those flowers, only instead of picking them, death smashed her into the ground." Olsen nodded as the android put the very essence of what death was into words while Jenny came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to seem strong in her own way. Lillianne wondered through the village, looking for Matthew since she hadn't seen him after the preparations had begun: to her, it seemed that he was taking it the hardest. The swordsmen she had seen before always seemed to take a death harder than most. Maybe it had something to do with their knight-like personality and code of always protecting the weak. When she did finally find him, he was kneeling in front of the Elde's grave, holding onto the handle of his sword, the Katar, as if to keep his head from hitting the ground. Lillianne slowly walked over to him, taking her halberd from her back and setting it on the ground, kneeling next to him and putting her hands together to pay her respects.

"Lillianne, have you ever lost someone you were supposed to protect?" Matthew asked suddenly. Lillianne opened her eyes slowly and shook her head.

"No, I can't say that I have. But you can't let something like this weigh you down from protecting the rest."

"How can you speak as though people are just cattle? I understand moving on from the past, but when the past won't let you go, what then?!" Matthew asked in a frustrated shout, swinging back and cutting clean through a tree while scorching the cut into black charcoal, sheathing the sword when Aran came into the clearing.

"Sir Matthew, we are about to begin with the procession." Aran said sternly. Matthew looked up at him with hurt and angry reddish brown eyes before walking off back to town with his Gaia thundering in the slight breeze that blew.

"How am I supposed to get through to him?" Lillianne asked as she watched him walk back to the village.

"Don't try; just let him come to you. Right now, everyone is looking to The Guardians for support; I can understand how he feels sometimes. Before I met your mother there were often times when I felt that I was alone, as people would look up to me when battles and foes had been defeated, but those same people would cling to me or look down on me when things became bleak. Lilin was the only saving grace that I had from my spirit being crushed. Right now I think Matthew feels that he is alone, since his friends have an immediate someone to lean on: Olsen and Jack can both lean on Helen and Jenny, and vice versa. The warriors have always been a type to try and lean on their own strength to push them through the tough times which many times makes them _seem_ independent. Trust me when I say that he will need your strength, it may be even sooner than you think." Aran patted Lillianne's shoulder and headed back to the village while leaving Lillianne to think about what it was that she had been told, wondering when and how she would ever be able to help Matthew. As Keeny was led up the gang plank to the ship, Phyllia walked next to the small still body, trying to stay straight faced while walking before the entirety of Ossyria who watched her as she was then set on the platform. Even though the majority of Ossyria had left their villages to Herb Town, Orbis still housed some of the more stubborn Fairies that refused to leave. The Five and their parents boarded the ship, followed by Aran and his family, the Empress and her knights as well as Heidrin who stood at the helm and offered up her words as a memory of the small girl.

"Keeny, was a sweet child. Probably the most alive of all of us here: with her clear blue eyes she would see things in life that no one ever could. I only knew Keeny for a short time, but she taught me more in one day then I had learned in a year of what it meant to live. Now that she is passed, only now can we ever feel the pull of her effect on us all. So now, we go to lay her down in the Cemetery of Fairies, where she will be cared for and watched over by Minerva." The Pirate captains all took their hats off and knelt low before untying the mooring lines and setting Shank's ship into the bay, which then slowly pulled into the sky and left for Orbis.

* * *

"I have no doubt that Grendal will eventually tell them what really happened to the girl." Eleanor stated as The Mage's eyes smiled in response as he waved his hand over a crystal ball calling up an image of the Pixie Father as questioning whispers hung in the air.

"Mage Sir. I've sent my Ghost Soldiers into the void of your prison and one has yet to return. Are you sure that the Rubian would be in there?" The Father asked as a growl emanated from the back of The Mage's throat when Eleanor stepped forward.

"It's the only place that Minerva could put something of that caliber and keep it hidden from The Master all this time. Will you need additional help?"

"Only if you deem it necessary." The Father said when his attention was called back to something behind him

"Father! Father! They've returned!" the image shifted to a blue glow emanating from a split rock while small black hated pixies came leaping from the glow. Impatient whispers rose from him in a hissing question as one of the little pixies held up a fist sized magenta gem which seemed to swirl and pulse with some sort of powerful energy in it. The Mage's eyes widened in excitement as he reached his hand into the image and then pulled the Rubian back through into his castle.

"I trust that our agreement is still in order Mage Sir?"

"Yes, it is. Eldan, Oberon; is the item which he asked for ready?" Eleanor asked as she turned around.

"Sure is! Here." Oberon playfully answered as she glided to the image, putting her hand through and giving the Pixie Father another bottle of the powerful elixir that Minerva had refused him before, The Water of Life.

"Yes, this will do nicely." The Father said as he pulled the cork and looked down onto the clear liquid when the Mage's whispers hissed sternly around the Father.

"Oh I will remember. Believe me, this is all I need." And with that the image faded from the crystal while The Mage left and walked to another room with the Rubian in hand.

"Will leaving him with such power become a problem for you?" Eleanor asked as she followed him, receiving a swirl of confident whispers.

"And what if they free _her_ while they are there?" The Black Mage stopped for a moment, then whirled around and gripped Eleanor's shoulders, picking her up off the polished granite floors and pinning her to the wall, angry whispers explaining how Nexus would more than likely not allow her to return to her time without some kind of payment before roughly setting her down and continuing on to a dark room where a machine hummed somewhere in the dark. As the lights came on, it revealed a five point metal hex with the Dark Crystal sitting at the top, a reddish husk on the bottom left point and a greenish husk on the right hand point. Walking up to it, the crystals pulsed with color once more as the husk's residual power reacted to the Rubian as it neared. Behind the hex stood a machine that resembled a giant microscope, with 12 blue bands spinning opposite each other while a pulsing blue energy gathered into a vile at the bottom.

Approving whispers rose around The Mage as The Machinist sank down from tending to the machine, clicking its fingers and arms as though speaking. With a smooth stride he walked to the front of the hex, looked over the Rubian for a moment and then placed the lentil shaped gem in the center of the hex, making bright red power seep from it into each of the five points while the crystals that had been placed sent what little power they had in streams of color to the Rubian. However the show didn't last long as the colors faded as soon as they had begun, turning back to Eleanor which a thick cloud of whispers while motioning to the hex behind him.

"So far, nothing has been discovered. However I had the wyvern circle back on a lead that led them to Orbis and the cloud park." The Mage nodded slowly then turned and left back to his throne room overlooking Edelstein, where the humans mined for the essential Mithril Crystal he would later use to complete the Gauntlet. Holding up his hand, a black flame flared into existence having a picture of someone with broad shoulders and large head.

"It's taken longer than I would have liked. His mental capacity is less than stellar which I would have liked to work on more, but since time won't allow for that, I think I've gathered enough data to make him into a fine opponent." With a slow nod he shook his hand making the flame go out: things were shaping up just as he had hoped, and his reign would be magnificent!

* * *

Docking in Orbis was at first quiet and uninviting, cold even. However not long after the last mooring line had been secured, Kriel, her sister Edel and the other fairies of Orbis came to meet them, Kriel holding in her hands a small golden crown made of Sun and Moon badges from the fallen pixies. When Keeny was brought down, Kriel carefully set the small crown on her Keeny's head, then led the procession the Fairies Graveyard, where thick vines baring large pink flowers grew on all the walls. Once they reached her grave, everyone who had come shared a memory they had made with Keeny, even Humanoid-A who was the closest to Keeny shared many a memory that he had made with her before she was finally lowered down into the hole where she would spend the rest of her time, lifeless though she was.

Phyllia stayed behind long after everyone had left, kneeling before the gravestone that bore an engraving of her face while Humanoid did his best to try and comfort her. Helen couldn't help but want to try and comfort her,but she was suddenly stopped by Cygnus who spoke to them all in a grave and serious tone.

"Guardians, Grendal would like a word with you." Helen was apprehensive; why would Grendal want to send them out on a mission when they had just buried a friend? Lillianne walked with them as they were led back to the ship where Grendal and the other masters stood in a semi circle.

"Helen, there is something that I must tell you: Keeny's death wasn't because of an injury, she was forced to die. I want you to tell me everything that happened while you were in Mu Lung, don't leave anything out." His piercing blue eyes made it hard not to tell everything, and so they recounted everything to him, how they had trained, what they had faced, how Evan and Mir had blocked an attack from Dragonoir, even Helen's crystal release.

"I see. So you did use it." Grendal mumbled thoughtfully.

"What do you mean Grampa?" Helen asked.

"When the Amethyst Crystal had its seal broken, you used three very high level spells; The Genesis Light, Angel's Quiver, and Resurrection. However, resurrection is a forbidden spell; even though we Mages can use such a power, it brings more sadness then happiness in the end."

"What do you mean?" Lillianne pressed. Grendal closed his eyes and looked away.

"When you resurrect someone from the dead, someone else must take their place. When one dies, they become a part of the flow of life, similar to the way a log can become a part of a strong river. The pull on the person's Life Force is strong, and will keep being pulled back into the life stream until it either succumbs to the pull, or the person dies again. To cancel this effect, another must take their place in death, thus releasing the Life Force of the pull and casting the new Life Force down into the Life Stream. The problem is, there is no way to tell who is the one that will take their place in death. And so for Jack to come back to life, Keeny's life was sacrificed." Helen was mortified: she had killed Keeny? No, it couldn't be, she had seen what she had done with her own eyes, her power was what had revived Jack, not an exchange of lives!

"No that can't be right! I watched my power wash over Jack and revive him!"

"As much as you want to deny it Helen, that is what the revival ability of a Magus of Ossyria requires, nothing less. Believe it or not, my life also has been affected by this blessed curse." Kyrin replied walking over to her and embracing her tightly as Helen was hysterically trying to find some way that they were wrong, that her grandfather was wrong. Jack suddenly wasn't so happy to be alive anymore and began to even wish that he hadn't been revived. Again and again, Helen whispered through her tears that what she had been told wasn't true, yet time and time again she would have Grendal's words echo in her head and reminding of the undeniable truth.

"There are only two people who can give life so easily: Minerva, and Corus. Otherwise when the Life Force is finally pulled from the body, the body becomes a shell, cursed to walk the earth until the body simply rots and falls apart. That reason alone is why the Forest Of Death is named such: My apprentice Richie had lost his entire village there, a mining village and was looking for a way to bring it back without the cost of a life exchange. For a while it worked, but soon the Life Force of everyone there began to be pulled back into the Life Stream, and thus became grounds for the walking dead, zombies if you will." Grendal explained, but seeming as though it wasn't reaching her.

"Misses Waterman, what did you mean that your life had been affected by this revival technique?" Jenny asked gently, trying to hide her ill timed curiosity. Kyrin looked up at her with distant and pain filled eyes as the memories came flooding back to her, even though she had tried to bury them over the years.

"We were just beginning our conquest to defeat Pink Bean at the time. But during our first attempt, I died. Back then, Greadal was still researching the deeper secrets of Minerva's writings with Alcaster, but had yet to find what it was that the Revival spell did. He used that technique and resurrected me; however it wouldn't be until later that I found out from my sister Shulynch, our father Black Bart had died suddenly. Grendal did some more research and found what it was that the revival spell did, and thus found that in saving me, my father died." Jenny nodded her head as she listened to Kyrin had to endure, much like what Helen was going through right now which she could probably never understand. No wonder Greandal had called it a 'blessed' curse.

"I'm going to look around the city, get a chance to clear my head." Matthew stated, turning and walking towards an older part of the city that looked as though it hadn't been visited in centuries: ash and dirt gathered in every corner making the air somewhat stifling. As he walked, his mind wandered to what he was really here to do: stop the Black Mage and his terrible rule of terror, or whatever it was that he had planned. Taking his Katar from his belt he held it in his hands and looked over it, watching absently how the sun reflected from the blade into his eyes until in one swift motion, he raised the sword above his head making mana and air gather around the guard then thundering loud as it was driven into the cobblestone street, cracks splitting away from it. In the same swift motions, air swirled around his body as mana and ruby power steadily flowed through him to speed his movements, drawing the Lion's Fang and cutting clean through a column with a wide swing. Lillianne had followed him, standing behind a pillar almost in fear of the brute force Matthew was unleashing. The pillar she stood behind suddenly split and fell over exposing her. She quickly flitted to another position with her battle step, barely avoiding the cutting wind that trailed from the blade. Matthew wasn't paying attention to what was around him as he swung so hard that the tip of the sword whistled for a pillar Lillianne stood in front of. She quickly unclasped her pole arm to block the swing, but instead was sent skidding across the ground, her skin turning bright red when the handle of her weapon slammed into her side. Before the column hit the ground Matthew swung again and again, cutting through the thick roman temple-like columns until the Fang's blade cracked and gave way, shattering into hundreds of shards. Letting out a frustrated growl, he turned his head to the sky while he fell to his knees and put his hands on his head with the shattered Lion's Fang in his hands.

"WHY IS IT THE HARDER I TRY THE MORE PEOPLE DIE!" he screamed to the sky, dropping his hands to the ground listening for an answer in the winds, but not receiving any. Lillianne walked over to him once she had recovered from the shell shock and knelt next to him hugging his head close to her chest as Matthew broke down to tears, clinging to her. For a while the two of them simply let time pass, while he let out his frustrations into the air in unheard shouts, resting his head in the cleft of her chest.

* * *

She opened her sapphire eyes from her afternoon nap being interrupted by a heartfelt shout. Rolling her shoulders then arching her back she stretched, scratching her claws through the cloud lined ground while the flames gently burning on her haunches flared to a more intense pulse.

"_Now who could that be?_" she thought as she nuzzled the Celion, Lioner, and Grupin cubs she had been watching for her friends Keil, Mabel and Addison to wake them. The cubs woke, yawning large and going through the same stretch routine that she had, following her as she walked through the garden she had called home for hundreds of years to find who it was that had made the noise. Before long she had found the source and shook her head, her silver-grey mane swishing back and forth from the motion, but then looked harder at one of the humans kneeling there.

"_Isn't that the daughter of Aran?_" she wondered, sitting back on her haunches, flipping her tail back and forth as she watched. It reminded her so much of the way Minerva had held her when she was tired or just lonely. In the distance something caught her sharp hunter's eyes across from her: her pupils narrowed as her interest was pricked. Left and right, back left she looked, watching for what little flash of… there it was again. And then _it_ came out into the open, the one thing that she feared more than any rage storm that Minerva could conjure: her clone. Silently she crouched, purring to the cubs to stay back as she shifted her shoulders side to side. If those humans weren't aware of what was going to attack them, there would be no way they would survive. And then something else caught her eye, floating on top of a pillar: a Stellar Pixie.

"_In Minerva's Name… those things pick the worst times to appear!_" she thought to herself, turning her attention back to her clone.

* * *

For a good 30 minutes, Matthew held onto Lillianne until his frustrations were calmed which allowed him to breathe again.

"I can't say that I know what you're going through. But if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here for you." She gently whispered into Matthew's ear. Matthew suddenly grabbed her pole arm, pulled it from her shoulders and moved to wrap his arms around her, but in the process knocked her to the ground. Slowly, Matthew picked himself up, supporting himself over her and looking deep into her eyes

"Matt, wha…"

"Lillianne, I'm trying my hardest. But no matter what I try, it seems that I can't protect even one girl from death."

"Matthew, that was…"

"It doesn't matter. It still amounts to the same thing. I won't be able to protect the one thing in my life worth protecting: I wouldn't be able to protect you. I can't stand to lose you too, not in a million years." Lillianne wasn't really sure how to take what had just been said: she was more a warrior than anything. Sure she was a girl and she had a crush on Matthew, but when his feelings about her had been laid before her in such raw terms, she was speechless. Not knowing what else to do, Matthew slowly leaned down to her, closing his eyes as he neared her lips. Lillianne closed her own in response to his coming closer waiting for something that had never been done to her since her birth. Just before their lips met, a blood chilling cry split the air around them; Matthew turned around as Lillianne picked her head up to see a black lion-like creature lunging at them, claws extended and teeth bared while flames leapt from its paws. Lillianne rolled left as Matthew rolled right, getting up and quickly running for his Katar just as the beast came down hard where they had been a moment ago. Lillianne swung around, driving her halberd into the ground while a wave of ice roared towards the creature, leaving Matthew just enough time to pick up the nearest thing that looked like a shield and hide behind it to block the oncoming wave of ice. But before the wave hit the creature, another one appeared from the pillars and attacked the first one with full force. Matthew stood up and swung a right cross while unleashing a Solar Scythe into the wave of ice which dissipated as soon as it hit. The two of them watched in confusion as the creatures disappeared into tangled clouds while tails and claws appeared then disappeared as they fought ferociously, strange bright blue liquid even spraying into the air. Lillianne looked back at Matthew just in time to see a Stellar Pixie raise its wand and conjure up a Nova Hex right behind him.

"MATT! BEHIND YOU!" She screamed as everything seemed to slow to a crawl: Lillianne launched into a battle step while her weapon and arms glowed bright blue, speeding up her attacks. Matthew began to turn and pull up the shield, but his movements were too slow as the Hex solidified and began to launch its attack until an ear splitting blast shattered the air. The Hex dissipated and the pixie looked down on its marshmallow body to see a bullet hole leaking bluish-black blood from the hole. Suddenly four more shots echoed through the air as four more holes appeared in the body of the pixie, making it twitch and skid back with each shot passing through its body and snapping off a stone wall behind it. Jack then thumbed a bullet into the air, threw the front of his Rasfelt down, dumped out the shells, caught the spinning bullet in the cylinder and flipped up the barral while clicking back the hammer. Holding it out at arm's length, his arm and gun became engulfed in a reddish violet light which then responded back with a roar. The Pixie stood still for a moment until a bullet hole appeared in its head followed by the back of its head exploding in a spray of blood and flesh. Matthew and Lillianne both looked back to where the sound had come from and saw Helen, Olsen, and Jenny with Jack dropping down his gun.

"It's a good thing we decided to check up on you man. You were nearly fried." Jack called, blowing off the smoke from the end of the Rasfelt and reloading the five .45 caliber bullets before dropping it into his holster.

"I had it all under control. It was those two that were distracting me." Matthew replied, pointing his sword towards a dust cloud from which the freighting sounds of a cat fight had died down after a long and fading, pain filled roar. Carefully the band crept closer with weapons drawn and muscles tense with anticipation. The silence was eerie, almost choking, until a falling piece of rubble made Jenny jump , releasing her bomb arrow which blew even more dust into the air.

"Why'd you do that?" Olsen hissed.

"How was I supposed to know there wasn't anything there?" she hissed back. Carefully they journeyed further into the dust cloud until Jack tripped on something. No sooner had he stopped falling when whatever it was he had tripped on got up and pinned him to the ground while baring its clenched fangs at him. Olsen drew his Sais, and crossed them over the back of the creature's neck, Jenny pulled her bow tight aimed for the heart, Helen spread her hands as flames leapt into existence hovering over her shoulders and arms while Matthew stood at the ready, shield forward and sword ready to strike, as did Lillianne.

"I see, so you are the Guardians of Ossyria." The black lion-like creature said, taking its paws away from Jack's arms and sitting back on its haunches.

"I'm sorry for my conduct; I thought you were my clone. It is a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances. I am Elliza, former Guardian Beast of Minerva." She continued in a rather pleasant voice. The Five slowly relaxed, seeming almost skeptical that this Elliza would be so nice, since their dealing with her in the game had been anything but pleasant.

"Then, do you mean that…"

"Yes Guardian Mage, the other me you saw was my clone. When Father Pixie ensnared Minerva in her own statue, I became blind with rage. For many days I chased after him, nearly catching him on many occasions, but mostly my anger was directed at myself, for allowing said harm to come to my charge. After two whole weeks I gave up the search, but my anger still burned. It wasn't until after Minerva had been released by her heroes that I felt that my anger towards the Pixie Father would do me no good in protecting her in the future, and so I purged myself of the anger. What was born however was what you saw: a clone that knows nothing but vengeance, violence and slaughter. She only comes out from time to time, however every time that I have tried to defeat her, she either over comes me or she runs away after a long and arduous battle to recover from her wounds. And now I ask you guardians, will you help me in my quest to set things right?" They all looked at each other, silently asking one another if they should or shouldn't help her. The battle they had to fight for Mu Gong was still fresh in their minds, and they already knew that fighting oneself was near impossible to win.

"Where is she now?" Olsen asked, slowly and confidently tucking the stars he had drawn back into his Blood Slain.

"I vaulted her over the edge of the Palace City down into the Mountains of El Nath. Knowing her, she is still alive."

"A fall of that height and she'd still be alive?!" Matthew exclaimed.

"Yes; injured, but still alive. I've even vaulted her from the top level of Eos Tower and she still survived." Helen shook her head. This beast was going to be one tough opponent.

"If you are going to El Nath, then you will need these." Dark Lord said from nowhere, holding out some weathered leather cloaks to keep them warm.

"You are also going to need some different weapons now that your Lion's Fang has shattered. Take this, The Mole of Gold, and the Serpent's tongue spear. When you return we are going again to Masteria where a new sword will be forged for you by an old friend of mine. Your strength alone is what shattered the Lion's Fang, and it was no longer able to support such force." Dances smiled as he set the heavy hammer down and handed the spear to Matthew who wasn't expecting the heavy weight the spear actually had. Jenny suddenly felt something rubbing against her leg; it felt furry and soft, cat like almost which was given away by the purring she heard. When she looked down, a Cellion looked up at her with big blue eyes, meowing at her in a voice that sounded similar to a swoon.

"Aww, how cuuuute! It's a junior Cellion!" she squeeled, reaching down she began petting it at which the cellion rolled over to its back and exposed its belly, tucking its head under and rolling back and forth.

"His name is Alden; it seems he's taken a liking to you." Elliza said, when a stronger purring suddenly pulsed in Jenny's ears, making her slowly turn around to see a full grown Cellion standing over her.

"Um, Hi?" She sheepishly asked as the Cellion slightly bared its teeth.

"Keil." Elliza lowered her head and closed her eyes, making Helen feel dizzy for a moment while the two of them telepathically spoke.

"_Keil, these are the Guardian's of Ossyria. She wasn't hurting Alden at all._"

"_They are? It makes sense to why Alden took a liking to her._"Kiel thought back, tilting her head slightly and closing her lips.

"_Alden was always a bit of an explorer. If he goes with her, it won't be the end. I'm sure he'll come back to visit._" Elliza explained. Helen's dizziness passed as the two of them stopped talking and Alden looked up at Jenny with large blue puppy's eyes, standing on his back legs and resting on her knee, then looking back to his mother. With a gentle nod from his mother, Alden turned back to Jenny and climbed up in her lap, rubbing his head against her chin and purring loudly.

"Are we ready then?" Elliza asked, walking towards the entrance to Orbis tower to take them to El Nath where they would face the terrible clone of Elliza.

* * *

"Hi mage. Watcha doin?" asked Oberon as she set down next to him and folded her wings, holding her hands behind her. The Mage looked up from his notes and potions, looking at Oberon for a moment and then turning back to his work. Oberon looked over his shoulder, reading over the text that made up a spell that seemed to be a way for something to detect Crystal Husks.

"I see, so the search for the husks has become harder, hasn't it?" Oberon asked, but ignored by The Mage as he worked.

"Well not that this isn't interesting, but I'm going to go see how Ossyria is doing when I came from. Tell Eldan I'll be back in a bit." In a hum of red light, Oberon disappeared through time. The Mage sighed; she was turning out to be a fine young woman, but still naive.

"Don't you think it's time you told her who you really are?" Eleanor asked, leaning against the door post with her arms crossed while a Grand Skelegon waddled up to The Mage with a glass of her potion. Whispers arose around her, making Eleanor shake her head

"And what if she finds out on her own?" Eleanor asked threateningly. The Mage stopped writing mid sentence and looked back to Eleanor, calmly setting down his pen while turning to her with tense whispers surrounding the both of them.

"No, I would never tell her. But she is the inquisitive type: if she were to find out what you are to her, things might not turn out too well for us." The Mage only chuckled, narrowing his eyes to her while his whispers became intrigued.

"Who could ever be jealous of that too good queen." Eleanor huffed, turning her nose up, and then dropping her head as her eyes looked lonely.

"I just don't want to be forgotten." The Mage hissed in the back of his throat, turning back to the spell he was working on, then beginning to pour various potions and tonics into a vial, swirling the potion around in the glass then took a sip of the cool liquid. When he was satisfied that the potion was complete, he turned to Eleanor and held the vial out to her as she picked herself up from the door post and walked to him, swinging her hips dangerously.

"The prototype potion you gave me for the wyverns has been working just fine and have just reported back that it has seemed to have moved to El Nath. With this potion I'm sure that the locating of the remaining husks will be more expedient." Eleanor assured as she took the potion and the Mage turned back to his notes.

* * *

Stepping out into the icy plains of El Nath was a punch in the face from the warmer interior of the tower, however the cloaks kept them warm despite their tattered appearance. Alden jumped from place to place in the knee deep snow, disappearing and then reappearing as he jumped, only his red trimmed fur giving away his position. It was a short walk to the village, which they stayed in only long enough in to grab a bowl of Hana's famous red bean soup, setting them on their way into the snowy icy fields that preceded the mountains. For hours they searched for some kind of clue to where the clone had gone or if it was still alive. Elliza squinted down at a divot in the snow that looked like a paw print, gently setting her own paw down in it, confirming that it was indeed her clone's then called over Jack who was the closest to her at the moment.

"I was beginning to wonder if she had fallen all the way down." He said as he called the others over, pointing out more tracks as they led deeper into the fields.

"I can follow her scent so have your weapons ready: she could be anywhere. Despite her black fur against this snow, she is very adept at hiding." Quietly and cautiously, the group followed her, ever vigilant to their surroundings. Alden even kept his small nose to the ground watching and imitating Elliza, soon figuring out what it was that they were doing and began searching for any branch ways of the strange scent they were following. Another tense hour passed as they trudged through the drifts of snow, periodically seeing wild Hectors running through the trees after their prey, or jumping when a bird would fly from bush. Suddenly Elliza stopped and stood very still staring straight ahead. Jenny leaned in close to her and whispered into her ear.

"What's wrong?"

"She's close, very close." Elliza purred. Quickly Jenny passed the message along which made them all form up back to back, waiting, watching. No one dared breathe as they scanned over the snow's surface, looking for any sign of her. Olsen was the first to notice something to the south of them; it was hard to see, but the same flames that flared around Elliza's paws swayed and flitted just outside of the light under a low pine tree. Clicking his tongue, Olsen motioned to the spot where he had been looking, slowly pulling a handful of stars from his Slain, and hurling two stars at her paws while he disappeared. The clone leapt from under the branches just as the stars fluttered into the darkness of her hiding place. Matthew took the spear from his back and pointed it up to the sky: blueish-red lightning shot up and then descended on all of them. Jack clenched his fists as he rushed forwards, twisting his body into a corkscrew and launching at her. The Clone side stepped the attack as Jenny split off to flank her right, Matthew and Helen charged straight in while Lillianne flanked left. The clone stopped, digging its claws into the ground and hunkering to the ground; Elliza's eyes went wide.

"EVERYONE JUMP!" she shouted. Without hesitation, they all jumped into the air as black stalagmites shot up from the ground where they had stood just a moment before. Unfortunately, Matthew's forward momentum carried him farther than he would have liked but he used it to his advantage, gathering his mana where the hilt of a sword would be and thrust the spear forward. Behind and above the clone, Olsen reappeared with a pink ghost surrounding his hand as he descended. Jenny drew an arrow and let it go, glowing green as it left while Helen Teleported to Lillianne and cast a fire spell over her halberd, making it erupt into a firestorm and roared onto the Clone. Just before Matthew hit, the Clone blurred and disappeared: Olsen unable to redirect his punch accidently slammed Matthew in the face as the ghost sank into him and fell to the ground. Quickly Olsen held up his cloak against the wall of flames headed to them while Matthew unsteadily held up his cape and blocked the incoming arrow.

"Hey man, I'm so sorry about that." Olsen apologized, tossing his cloak aside when the last of the flames disipatd.

"Don't worry about it, I just need a sec and I can fight through it." Matthew replied. Jenny looked to the left and right with an arrow drawn, trying to find where the clone had gone when suddenly the clone breathed down the back of her neck making chills run down her spine. Quickly she whirled around to face her only to have her bow swatted from her hand and pinned her to the ground. Helen drew a sacred arrow, humming with amethyst power then laced it with a freezing spell and let it go. Jack gathered ruby power in his hands, compressing it into a grenade, pulled the pin and tossed it into the air above the clone. The clone leapt straight up to avoid the arrow allowing Jenny to roll away from it, but the clone jumped right into the path of the grenade which Jack shot, making the clone howl as it was flung to the ground by the force of the explosion.

While it tried to recover, Matthew charged at the clone and again thrust the spear forwards which only grazed the beast in its ill aimed attempt. As the Clone reeled from the pain, Jenny gathered emerald power at the end of her arrow and let it go, impacting the clone in the side. The roar of pain coming from the beast was heart wrenching as the sapphire colored blood spilled to the ground as a result of the explosion. Helen bit her lip as she struggled against the priest in her to heal the beast, teleporting above it and drawing another Sacred Arrow which pierced her back between her shoulders. The beast roared again, falling to the ground as Jack rushed in, striking left, right, then back left into a summersault that launched the clone into the air, then was thrown to the ground as Jack clenched both hands together as a hammer after a quick upper cut punch.

Lillianne and Helen acted fast, freezing the clone in place, allowing Matthew the final blow. Slowly he walked up to her and stabbed the spear into the ground while Matthew took the Mole from his back, swallowing hard as he looked into the eyes of the creature he was about to kill: it had been the same with the Slime King. He didn't feel like a hero crushing a creature like this, especially something as grand as this; maybe there was another way to be rid of this clone rather than killing it. The clone heaved and gurgled as blood trickled from its mouth onto the snow, staining it the same brilliant blue as Jenny's cloak.

Matthew raised the Mole over his head, tightening his grip and taking a deep breath: all he had to do was to bring down his hammer and everything would be over. The more he waited, the harder it was becoming to end this creature's life, until finally he let the hammer drop to the ground and dropped his hands to his head.

"I can't." everyone let the breath they had been holding out as they all too couldn't find the steel within themselves to end this creature's life. The Clone suddenly opened its eyes, forced its way through the ice and swung her four inch claws powerfully at Matthew's gut. Out of reaction, Matthew bowed his head and crossed his arms when something happened, something like he had never seen before: the snow split apart as a stone casket of sorts rose from beneath the snow and surrounded Matthew with a metallic clang. The Clone's eviscerating swing at first hit the casket, and then her paw looked as though it disappeared while something shot from the casket and easily passed through her own gut, tearing everything from inside onto the snow. Just as quick as the casket had come, it faded away allowing Matthew to grab the Mole and in one mighty heave, brought it down on the Clone's head. For a few minutes, Matthew stood on shock at what he had done, letting go of the Mole and staring at the blood staining his grieves as he fell to his knees. Elliza slowly plodded over to him and nuzzled his shoulder.

"It is done Warrior. Clean your mace." Elliza said kindly. Shaken, Matthew rubbed his grieves with snow, cleaning the blood from thm and then cleaned the Mole in the same way before hoisting it onto his back again while Jack and Elliza took the body and buried it a short way off behind a rock.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, my other self." Ellliza muttered in a mournful tone. Matthew knelt beside her for a moment to pay his respects. When he stood, he reached to a nearby rock to help him to his feet when something glowed beneath his palm. He turned to see what it was when but was thrown back, flying through trees and banks of snow as though he had been hit before he could see what it was. Lillianne flitted from place to place, pushing off using her battle step to find him flailing his legs head first in a deep snow drift. Lillianne couldn't help but giggle as she dug him out of the snow, walking him back to the rest.

"What the heck was that?" Jenny shouted.

"I don't know. Ow, my head. I just went to get up and I leaned against some rock as support and the next thing I knew I was flying backwards through the woods." Matthew answered, still holding his pounding head. Quickly the group returned to where Matthew had been before to see nothing more than an unusually tall drift of snow. Alden walked up to it, his little nose wiggling back and forth as he sniffed at the drift. Jack stepped forward to brush away the snow but as he did, it felt as though his hand brushed against a chain of some kind. The momentary pause was just enough that it sent him sailing backwards just as Matthew had only this time it wasn't as far. Helen tried to melt the snow with a fire spell, only to have the same thing happen to her, throwing her right into Jack. Jenny was about to swing her bow and create a wind when Olsen stopped her.

"Let me try." Grabbing an evergreen branch , he was able to stand away from the rock and brush aside the snow to reveal that the 'rock' was really what looked to be an ice statue: thick chains hung around it, glowing an odd blue color looking as if they had begun to rust.

"Is, is that the Snow Witch?" asked Helen once she had walked back from the snow drift she had been thrown into.

"I guess it is. It's a little bigger than the game represented it. Not only that, but instead of sending you back to town, she just repels you." Jenny surmised as she looked over it, noting the fine detail in the sculpture of the woman.

"Look. It looks like someone is inside!" Matthew said as he squinted his eyes and examined it closer.

"Maybe there is a legend behind her. After All, nothing was said about the one in the game." Jake noted.

"Do you think it's the same as the game? You know, having to offer something on the alter before we can defeat her?" Helen asked as she looked around for something that resembled an alter.

"Don't know. Lillianne, do you know anything about this?" Olsen asked.

"I don't know anything about this. I only went to the El Nath Mountains maybe three or four times and never really noticed if this was here or not." She responded when she held up her hand to quiet them when she heard a muffled voice coming from the snow witch.

"Excuse me, but are you six The Guardians?" it asked. Olsen looked to Matthew, who shrugged as if to say 'I don't see any harm in telling her.'

"Yes ma'am, we are." Olsen answered skeptically.

"And the girl with the Violet hair, you are Helen Waterman are you not?" the voice asked again. Jack raised his eyes brows while Helen was surprised: Waterman? Sure she loved Jack, but she didn't love him that much yet. Maybe she had the wrong Helen.

"Um, I think you have the wrong Helen. My last name Olman, Helen Olman."

"Right! The Guardian Mage of Ossyria. Wait, what year is this?"

"Its, 2011. Are you sure you're ok?" Lillianne asked, leaning closer to the statue to try and make out who or what was within it.

"Ah, that's why. You haven't… well… I'll let you find out yourself. My name is Aufheben, Empress of Ossyria in the year 2215."

"Aufheben? How'd you get back here? Wait, aren't you supposed to be evil?" Jack asked, clenching his fists and readying to fight.

"My sister Oberon overthrew me and sent me back in time trapped in this block of ice. I don't know how long it's been but I can only imagine. If you can just get me out, I should be able to return home." Aufheben explained. Matthew jerked his head to the side and shrugged, it was worth another shot: maybe a sacrifice wasn't needed here. Drawing his Katar, a cloud of lightning descended on him while light gathered at the guard, humming and pulsing as he forced more and more ruby power to that one point. With every muscle in his arms feeling as though they would burst, he quickly raised the sword and then swung down so hard that the tip of the sword whistled as it went, leaving a contrail behind until it hit the ice with ground shaking force. No sooner had the sword made contact then the chains glowed brightly and then threw him back, skidding through a burrow of snow.

* * *

Above where Elliza had buried the Clone, Wyvern circled around like vultures attracted to the smell of rotting meat: there was something here, and they wouldn't leave until they got what they came for. Quickly one of them banked and dove to the body, using its roughly clawed foot to dig through the snow and dirt until the body was uncovered. Ducking down in reaction to a noise the wyvern heard, he soon went back to his bloody task: with a quick bite out of the skin, the body was opened revealing a glass-like object buried in the chest of the beast. The wyvern reached in and pulled at the object, pulling it free of then body which swiftly decomposed until it was mere bones. With a squeak to the others that had followed it, they turned and left for their master's castle, where no doubt a good treat awaited them for finding this treasure they had been searching for.

* * *

At last, he had finished the hex for making more of his children. He would overrun Orbis and make it into a paradise for the overlooked Pixies. Fairies always had the better luck, no matter if it was in looks or power. But the pixies had two things the fairies didn't: a leader, and numbers. With this bottle of water, he would be able to create an army of his children, and then he would force the first female fairy captured to be his wife so that he would no longer need the Water of Life to create his children, but which? He wouldn't mind if Elma was his wife since she was a good house keeper, but her wings were so puny. Maybe Neri; she had the grand wings that Minerva had, however she was a bit too athletic for his tastes. And then it hit him: Kriel. She would do very nicely. She was graceful and elegant, and her wings, though not as grand as Minerva's, were just right. Yes she would do just perfectly!

Turning his attention back to the hex, he activated it with a wave of his wand as the water began to ripple and bubble, small drops shooting from the spout. Once they hit the ground, they instantly grew into a new pixie. He would be victorious over Orbis, and finally give the Pixies the treatment deserved that was robbed from them by Minerva.

* * *

For the twentieth time, Matthew charged at the chains, using anyone of the three weapons that had been given to him, but always with the same result: the chains would glow upon impact and he would be thrown back into the now large drift of snow behind him. His armor had become slightly dented and scratched, while the Mole and serpent's tongue showed scorch marks and signs of metal stress from the endless pounding away at the chains. Finally he struggled back to them and dropped the Mole to the ground in utter exhaustion, holding his hand at Jack.

"You wanna give it a whirl?" he asked as he heaved for breath. Jack shook his head. He had just touched the rock and found out what happened.

"There has to be something that we're missing." Helen thought aloud as she put her hand over her mouth, thinking through her list of spell and attacks. Just touching the ice, let alone the chains, would send a person flying back.

"Wait, What if you attacked the chains all at once? Maybe then it would overwhelm it and break the spell." Aufheben suggested. Matthew shrugged and he wearily stood from resting on a nearby rock.

"It's worth a shot. The worst thing that could happen is we all get sent to different part of Ossyria." Helen surmised as each of then took a stance: Jenny loaded an arrow while Jack drew back his fist. Helen conjured up a fire arrow, while Olsen ignited the blade of his Sais into blue mana flames. Matthew drew his Katar, engulfing it with mana while Lillianne swung her halberd around and around to keep momentum going in the heavy weapon while Aufheben began a countdown.

"On three, One…. Two…. THREE!" everyone's attack simultaneously hit with ground jarring force. The chains instantly glowed as brightly as the sun, making everyone shut their eyes as tightly as possible, but still having the light shine through their lids. Once the light subsided, the chain remained unbroken steaming as the hot chain links melsted the ice of Aufheben's prison.

"It's no use Matthew: using brute force alone won't break this spell." Elliza said softly as she examined the magical chains surrounding the ice for Aufheben's prison.

"Then I guess it really is like the game: something must die so that something else can live." Jenny mumbled as she thought about what she would have to do to some poor animal in the area in order for Aufheben to be freed.

"There is no need to fret Lady Jenny. If all we need is blood, then the blood of my other half should suffice." Elliza commented. Everyone nodded, telling Aufheben that they would return shortly with the needed blood in order the break her seal. However when they did return to the body, all that remained were bones in the snow.

"What… happened?" Jenny asked, kneeling down to look over the skeleton that remained in the snow.

"I can guess is that once her life force was terminated, her body simply no longer had the drive to stay complete." Elliza infered as she once again buried the pile of bones, respectfully patting the dirt around the shallow grave.

"Well now what do we do? We still need a small bit of blood in order to make the spell on Aufheben's ice prison weak enough for us to break it." Jack asked, absently swinging his heavily armed hands back and forth under the heavy leather cloak.

"Use my Blood." Elliza suddenly cut in.

"Won't that be a bit dangerous? I mean I know that we need blood to weaken the seal…"

"It'll be fine Helen. Just from what you've told me about this, game, I don't think that there will be any negative repercussions to my life." Helen sighed: the only thing that could go wrong was that they missed something about what the seal needed and someone would die.

"Well if we're going to use blood, where are we going to find this alter?" Olsen asked, crossing his arms and jumping for a moment when the cold metal of his claw touched his bare arm.

"I've been down to this place may times, and I have yet to see an alter of which you speak. The only option that might be a viable answer is to place the blood directly on the chains" Elliza disappointingly replied. Helen thought about it for a moment, thinking through things that she didn't even _think_ that she knew, and nodded once she was sure that it would work. Quickly they returned to Aufheben and told her of their decision at which she refused at first, but after some careful persuasion, she allowed them to proceed.

Matthew quickly and carefully cut into Elliza's paw, holding it over the chains and dropping her sapphire blue blood onto the metal. For a moment nothing happened until the metal absorbed the blood into itself and began to rust as if time were passing years at a time within seconds. Before long the chains looked as if they would break just by breathing on them. With a small tug by Jack, the chains broke leaving nothing but the ice. Matthew lifted the heavy Mole of Gold from his back and set it on the ground while he waited for Jenny and Jack to form a triangular pattern around Aufheben: Jenny pulled her bow tight against the sinews, gathering mana at the tip of the arrow. Jack focused the Ruby crystal power around his fists, shaking as he forced the power around his hands, making his forearms swell. Matthew then hauled the giant hammer from the ground, readying a powerful strike as he swung the hammer in a figure eight to keep the momentum up. Aufheben began to shiver in anticipation as she counted down for everyone.

"On three: one, two, three!" The thunderous sound of all the attacks hitting at once made the ground shake as cracks spread quickly from the contact points. As Aufheben struggled to get free from her icy shackles until at last, the ice broke away in blocks and sheets becoming lost in the shin deep snow. Aufheben suddenly felt the sharp cold cut into her as quickly as her skin touched the air. Quickly Helen wrapped her leather cloak around her while holding a small flame in her hand to warm her further.

"Come on, we'd better her back to town before she freezes." Helen stated. Aufheben quickly reached up and stopped her before they left.

"Wait, I f-f-feel I owe you something as a th-th-thanks." Pulling Helen with her to keep her warm, Aufheben picked up six shards of her ice prison and remolded them into a tear drop, then took some of her long hair and tied it through the ice to make a pendant.

"This ice will never m-m-melt since I made it by using my, p-p-p-powers." Aufheben said, each of them donning the pendant which was no bigger than a bead, but swirled with shades of blue, constantly changing as the sun hit it at different angles. Before long, the group was sitting comfortably around a large fire pit inside of Alcaster's house where they were given hot bowls of red bean soup. While the cold melted away from Aufheben's body she told them the tale of how she had come to this time, and her home back in the future where Oberon now ruled.

"Sounds like we need to get you home as soon as possible." Jack commented, busily slurping the last of his fourth bowl down his throat.

"Yes, concerning that. I just remembered I can't get to my own time unless I go through the Time Gate. However without a Timekeeper's Stopwatch, I wouldn't be able to go back as I am. The Gate Keeper Nexus might take the years of life that I've had as payment to pass from the past to the future." Aufheben explained, making her ruby eyes darken with disappointment.

"I'm sure we will be able to find a way to get you back to where you need to go. Besides, you might need our help and what would we do then? We all would need those stopwatches too, so you might as well stay here for now until we're able to get there ourselves." Helen suggested. Aufheben nodded her thanks, but still her thoughts were on the time she was from: what had happened to Asia and Dunas after she had been sent back in time?

* * *

"So they managed to free her after all." Eleanor said with a slight tone of surprise: they had actually succeeded in freeing Aufheben from her icy prison as she sauntered to the crystal before the Black Mage.

"Is it still going to be a problem now that they _have _freed her?" she asked, looking up at the Mage while the corners of her ruby lips turned upwards in an alluring smile. The Mage narrowed his eyes, shaking his head slowly while holding up his hand as an image of Nexus appeared within the flame on his palm.

"Ah, I see; Nexus is the one preventing her passage. But even if she does manage to return to her time, there's nothing that she could do at this point." Eleanor continued smoothly as The Mage turned his attention to the Pixie Father. From the small bottle in the center of the hex, hundreds of Pixies began to swarm all of Orbis, making the stone walkways begin to flex and crack under the weight from the clouds and levi-stones being unable to support such weight.

"What if Orbis falls?" Ergoth asked, stepping into the chamber timidly, since the last time he had been here The Mage threatened to send him back to the grave right then and there. The Mage turned to him, hissing whispers filling his ears for a moment as he approached.

"I agree with The Mage, Orbis will never fall. Sooner or later that old witch Spiruna will send for the children and everything will be made right again."Eleanor replied when she senced that The Mage almost seeming annoyed by what Ergoth just said.

"Her? I thought she moved on when the master came back?" Angry but quiet whispers filled the room for a few moments as The Mage lowered his gaze to the crystal ball before him, his eyes looking to narrow in agitation.

"Shall I go and stop her endless predictions?" Eleanor asked only to be met with The Mages whispers, halting her eager want to be out of the castle for a while. However there was still the matter of the Pixie Father, and he had been a thorn in his side for centuries. Turning to Eleanor, his eyes and whispers seemed to grin slightly.

"I am yours to command master; what is it you would have me do?" Eleanor answered. The Mage then pointed to a dark section of his throne room as whispers arose once more.

"A potion? In addition to clothes?" The Mage nodded, explaining his mission to her while throwing his hand forward, summoning a bench strewn with various ingredients and schematics and beginning work on the potion he had said would accompany her change. From the darkened section of the room, sounds of a slight effort could be heard until she began her walk back into the light readjusting the sky blue halter top for the again which made it somewhat hard to breathe due to her well filled figure.

"Is the potion ready?" Eleanor asked. The Mage turned back to her, holding out a vial to her as she again adjusted the top, trying to keep her bust covered.

"How did she ever wear something like this? It's tiny!" Eleanor complained. The Mage only growled in his throat as he held the potion out to her which she grabbed from the Mage's hand and turned to leave, adjusting the top once again, stopping when whispers filled the air around her.

"I would be honored to complete another mission when I return." She said before disappearing in a plume of black aura.

* * *

"Alcaster! Let me in! Alcaster! Alcaster!" a woman's called a voice through the door, sounding frantic as she banged on the door faster and faster.

"Calm down you old crone. I'm coming." Alcaster said in a dry voice, pulling the bar from the door and allowing and old woman to stumble into the house.

"What took you so long? It's a matter of great urgency!" the woman spat. Alcaster's bushy white eyebrows made his gentle blue eyes disappear in agitation as he lowered them.

"Does it have something to do with you saying that Orbis will fall out of the sky if nothing is done?" Alcaster asked, setting both of his hands on the top of his cane.

"Yes, but this time it is not a Prophecy; It really is going to fall! The Pixie Father is over running Orbis with his children! The streets are cracking, the clouds are dispersing and the levistones can no longer keep the massive weight in the air! At this rate, Orbis will fall!" Alcaster looked back to the seven seated around his table, walking grimly back to it while leaning on his staff as he walked.

"How can I know that this isn't another one of your attempt to have some unfortunate travelers come to act as your own personal gardeners to keep the pixies away from your rutabagas?" Alcaster asked as he slumped into a chair. Just as the old woman was about to answer, a loud thud came from outside making the vibrations reverberate through the ground. Lillianne quickly got up and walked over to the window where her eyes became wide in surprise and pointing outside.

"I think she's right about this time Alcaster. A stone from Orbis's streets just hit the ground outside your house over here." She explained, making the others around the table become worried while Alcaster looked around the room at their young faces.

"Guardians, you have heard what Spiruna has said. I ask you, will you stop this over running of the Palace city of Orbis?" looking from one to another, they seemed to ask the question telepathically between them, making and closing arguments in seconds.

"We'll go. Orbis is the only memorial we have of Minerva at the moment." Lillianne stated, walking to the door and donning her leather cloak while the others did the same.

"I'll go with you; you might need some extra hands." Aufheben said as she stood and reached for her Plasma great sword on her hip. Jenny put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

"No Aufheben. We need you to stay here in case something causes the pixies to come down here." Aufheben sighed; she had wanted to see what the Guardians of this time were like since she had only met the powerful, older versions of them in her present. Nodding her reluctant understanding, she stood with Alcaster as the six of them left for the tower once again, climbing the many stairs and ropes back up the tower to the overrun Orbis with Alden and Elliza close behind.

Finally they reached to top of the tower after battling their way through walls of stellar, lunar and solar pixies along the way. Olsen elected himself to go and have a look at the situation outside of the tower before the rest of them, since his abilities allowed him remain unseen. Quietly he crept through the city, being sure not to brush against any of the thousands of pixies littering the area and be discovered. Hundreds of them floated around the city, making target practice out of some of the columns, or jturning some of the older buildings into rubble. If Olsen looked at the city right, he could almost see the center bowing down. He continued to slink through the city until he came to the Guild Hall, where many more pixies seemed to be standing guard rather than just playing around.

"_That must be where the Pixie Father is: it only makes sense to have the most valuable thing protected the most heavily._" Quietly and quickly he returned to the tower where the others were waiting for his report.

"So what did you find?" Matthew asked. Jenny stood as a guard near the entrance of the tower, bow loaded and at the ready.

"It's not good; the center of the city is bowing there are so many pixies. I managed to make it to the guild hall where I think the Pixie Father is keeping residence." Matthew nodded his head, trying to think up a plan but coming up with nothing that sounded like a good idea except for one.

"If we're going to make through that swarm of pixies, it needs to fast and heavy to take out as many as we can before they start attacking. Helen, what would their attacks be considered? Magical or Physical?" Helen thought for a moment.

"I think they would by a physical attack, even though a magic hex is used to summon the attack." Matthew nodded, thinking over an attack plan when Jenny started whispering in hisses.

"Quiet! There's a guard troop coming!" Quickly they sank into the shadows, pressing themselves against the wall to try and remain as hidden as possible. Three ghost pixies came into the rooms, mechanically looking around and then returning outside to their duties of patrolling the city.

"Ok, I have a plan. Lilli, how long does it take for you to charge that ice attack you used when the clone attacked us?"

"I don't know, it's different for each beast I face. With these small fry it should be no longer then about ten seconds of so, but that was just a half hearted try back then."

"Alright: here's my plan. I'll go out first and use my solar scythe to cut down as many as I can. Once that's done, Jack can provide cover from the front while Jenny and Olsen cover from the high ground on the sides."

"I think I saw some columns stable enough to provide a good vantage point." Olsen interjected.

"Good. If you two want to go ahead you can. Helen, I'm going to need you to amplify Lillianne's attack as much as you can. We're only going to get one surprise attack so we need to take out as many as we can before they start calling hexes." Everyone nodded signifying they all understood the plan of action.

Olsen and Jenny slunk out of the tower, quickly making their way to the columns with Alden right on Jenny's heals. Matthew took off his cloak and was about to wrap part of it around his arm, when the words 'Pensez et donc il est' caught his eye while strange echoing voices pulsed in his head.

"_What the heck does that mean?_" he thought, looking closer at the words as something in the back of his mind began catching. The words and letters suddenly blurred, rearranging themselves into English letters spelling ithink, therefore it is.' Matthew thought back to the incident when he and Olsen had faced off against King Clang and how Olsen's cloak changed into heat resistance shoes. He closed his eyes and put his gauntlet on the words, thinking over and over again of a shield until the cloak dissipated into fragments of light and then surrounded his arm like a golden brace. Matthew's face fell in disappointment: this wasn't as all what he was thinking of. But since he had no idea how to change it back just yet, he just passed it off when a pleasant voice of a woman came rolling into his head.

"_You have created a new form of the Golden Gaia of Light. Your Gaia has three forms besides is cloak form, but be warned that once a new form is chosen, it cannot be erased from the cloak until it is passed on to another. Be mindful of your choices." _The voice gone, Matthew shook his head for a moment to rid himself of the dizzy feeling he had and concentrate back on the task at hand. He looked around for a moment, spotting Olsen and Jenny who signaled that they were ready.

"Alright, you ready?" he asked, looked to the other three who nodded as Matthew drew his katar, holding his left arm forward as though he were holding a shield. Taking a breath, the sword became engulfed in red light, growing to twice its original size as he hurled it through a left cross, unleashing a Solar Scythe that hissed through the air. The pixies all looked back when the whistling began, only to be cut in two themselves as the scythe ripped through hundreds of pixies leaving a wide body strewn path. Matthew stepped back into the tower allowing Jack to step into the door firing his gun at incoming pixies while Olsen and Jenny began firing on the swarm from above. Lillianne tightened her grip on her halberd as Helen touched a finger to it, making Lillianne shiver with power borrowed from the Amethyst crystal as icicles formed on the blade.

"JACK! It's ready!" Helen shouted. Firing the last shot in his gun, he somersaulted into the air as Lilli hauled her heavy halberd over her head, hitting the ground with a chest hollowing clang. The streets of Orbis erupted into spears of ice as the massive blast surged through the wide path left by Matthew, freezing thousands more pixies solid.

"CHARGE!" shouted Jack as he landed and charged forwards, bits of ice being flung into the air as he ran, driving a heavy fist through a large crowd of frozen pixies leaving chunks behind. Matthew sheathed the Katar and pulled the Mole from his back, slamming through bunch after bunch of the pixies while Lillianne would swing in tandem with him. Olsen and Jenny continued taking out the unfrozen pixies as their comrades pressed through the swarm. Helen time after time summoned powerful lightning bolts, smashing the frozen pixies into snow. Olsen was getting ready to launch into his next throw when something went sizzling past his head. Surprised, he looked down to see a large pinkish violet light erupting below him, realizing that hundreds of hexes were flowering into existence below him. Quickly he focused his mana around his legs and jumped high into the air, barely avoiding a multitude of stellar flares disintegrating the column he had once stood on.

He reached for his Sais and landed beside Matthew and Lillianne, cutting down numerous pixies at their rear flank as Jenny too had to jump clear as lunar and solar pixies aimed their attacks at her. With a single bomb arrow she managed to clear herself a landing place beside her friends, watching the rear flank with Olsen while Alden scratched and growled as best he could behind the both of them. Slowly they kept pushing through the swarm, Matthew and Lillianne punching holes through allowing the others to make up more ground. Matthew suddenly tripped over a body of a dead pixie, sending him headlong into an attack that was just beginning to fire. Out of reflex he held up his left arm and watched in awe as a golden shield suddenly appeared, dissipating once the attack had been deflected allowing him free motion to bring the heavy mole down on the unsuspecting pixie, carrying the strike through a large number of them.

"MATT! YOUR RIGHT!" called Olsen. Matthew pulled up his left arm again making the golden shield again appear from thin air, dissipating after a barrage of stellar flares had been hurled at him. After what seemed like hours, they finally reached the guild hall realizing that it had only been a few minutes. All of them panted hard as they hid just around the corner from the mighty building: Matthew and Lillianne leaned against their weapons while Jack slumped to the ground and reloaded his pistol. Jenny slumped down beside him, both checking again as to how many shots remained, realizing that Alden had disappeared.

"How are we all doing?" panted Lillianne as she took a deep breath and stood to her full height.

"That was quite a workout. Trying to stay ahead of those little buggers is harder than it looks." Olsen panted in return, spinning a Sai on his finger.

"Olsen, what happened to your arm? It looks burnt." Helen asked, walking over to him and pulling up his forearm where a bright red mark glared up at them.

"I guess I did; must've gotten grazed when I wasn't looking." Olsen answered. Helen held her hand over the wound for a moment as a green glow momentarily hovered over the burn, healing it within a few seconds. Alden then suddenly walked up to Helen, standing on his haunches and gently pawed at her hand.

"Alden there you are." Jenny exclaimed as she stifled a laugh watching him paw at Helen's hand.

"Yes Alden?" she asked, leaning down and picking up the cub. When he was about eye level with her, he squirmed and pushed until his head touched hers. Instantly Helen was thrown into some sort of vision, seeming to watch Alden's recent memories as he ran up to the guild hall and peered in through a window to see the Pixie Father running to and fro as though making preparations for something. Just as suddenly as it had begun, the vision ended making her fall back a bit as Jack caught her.

"You ok Helen? Your hair and eyes were doing that same weird purple color when you touched Shinsoo. Was it another vision?" Jack asked. Helen nodded, telling everything that she had seen while trying to push away the strange feeling in her mind.

"It looks as if he's planning something for us, which means we need to act now." Jenny said, quickly pulling them all close as she explained an attack plan.

* * *

"And now for my ghost children; with the Water of life at my disposal I'll be able to make hundreds, no, thousands of them!" the Pixie laughed excitedly and he etched a few more marks into the floor of the guild hall where he had been performing his birthing spells to bring more of his children to life. Something outside suddenly pulled his attention away for a moment, but since it didn't seem to be anything worrisome at the moment, he returned to his task until he heard it again. It almost sounded like someone knocking on the door.

"Guards? What's going on out there?" he called. But when there was no response, he began to wonder, what could be going on out there? Quietly he picked up his wand, the medium for his powers, crept to the door and slowly opened it. Cautiously he peered out through the crack, only to suddenly close it behind him and hold it shut until a powerful wind blew the door down. Lillianne was the first inside, jumping into the air and swinging down hard while fire trailed her swing. The Father quickly moved out of the way only to be nearly hit with a Spine Arrow, humming with green power. Before him he could see the Pirate Guardian running at him with fists glowing furiously. As quickly as he could he called up a hex, firing a beam of magic at him to counter his heavy fist. Jack was stopped for a moment until he back spun, avoiding the spell and elbowing him in the chest sending the Father into the wall. Helen brushed her hand against the pouch on her belt and launched poison gasses into the air all around him making The Father cough and spit as he stumbled from the cloud until Olsen squarely planted his fist in his forehead sinking greenish pink ghost into his body making him dizzy. Matthew then followed by digging the end of his fingers into The Father's gut as a black ghost rose from Matthew's back making the giant pixie feel rather weak. Despite that, he managed to focus enough and gather his mana to fire a beam of magic upon Matthew.

Matt pulled his left arm up, but when the shield didn't appear, he panicked and crossed his arms out of reflex. Again a metal coffin case appeared from the ground, slamming shut around Matthew with a hollow clang. The beam hit the casket, disappeared into it and then came shooting back at the Father with the same intensity, sending him crashing into the wall. Jenny took advantage of the momentary lull and fired arrows as quickly as she could, pinning the Father to the ground. Olsen appeared from thin air, hurling a star at the wand which was slowly beginning to weave another hex. Helen drove the end of her Mystic Cane into the floor while making different seals with her fingers and then forcing both hands out to the top of the staff as a thunderous roar of lightning leapt from the staff to the Father where he lay pinned to the ground. Once the Father was pinned and disabled, Jack pulled his Rasfelt and shoved it into his head while pulling back the hammer.

"Listen closely because I will only ask this once: Why are you making so many of yourself?" Jack asked with a growl.

"Why? Why you ask? Because we Pixies are better than fairies! Minerva was nothing more than a human with wings, but we are truly magical beings. I really could care less about this city! It's all just because I want to show that Minerva what it truly means to be powerful!"

"MINERVA IS DEAD!" Helen roared, holding the end of her Cane in his face, violent purple flames thundering into existence around it.

"All the more reason I can do as I please! I trapped Minerva in her own statue! That right there proves that Pixies are better than Fairies!"

"So you really didn't want to be the Goddess's friend. You just wanted to prove you were better than your creator!" Jack snarled making The Father laugh heartily.

"Is that what you call her? A creator? She was nothing more than a glorified tool of destruction! Do you know how beautiful Ossyria was before her love turned against her? And now look at it! A collection of islands! And you call her a creator?!" mocked The Father. Matthew growled as he drew his Katar while stomping on his body, raising his sword high above his head. When the Father realized that his life was in danger, he began pleading and begging, apologizing for his earlier words while continuing to beg for his life. Matthew shook his head, stepping down and picking up what remained of his wand.

"You're not even worth killing." Matthew sneered, handing the wand to Helen who burned the wand to ashes in a plume of violet flames.

"NO! MY WAND! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG A BLUE WOOD WAND TAKES TO MAKE!?" the Father shouted, trying to pull free of the arrows holding his arms down.

"No, and I don't care. At least now, you won't be a threat." Lillianne laughed, following the others as they began to leave.

"Wait! You can't leave me here like this!" but the six of them gave no response as they headed back to the platform, where the ship that brought them was waiting.

"Guys, why are we here again?" Helen asked, stopping everyone from moving as they thought about it once more.

"We're here… because a world needs us. The people need us to stop the Black Mage. Taking care of small matters like this may seem arduous, but we need to become stronger by any means necessary in order to stop him." Jenny replied.

"I know why we're here in Ossyria, but why are we here in Orbis?" Helen asked. Matthew looked down on the ground and smiled when he saw a white petal from a Snow rose.

"We came here to remember Keeny." He said softly, picking up the petal and walking back to the Cemetery of Fairies with everyone following him, paying their respects properly before leaving for Herb Town once again.

* * *

The Pixie Father struggled for a while, trying to free his arms, but with every move he made, the sting of the arrows would stop him from moving when a familiar voice suddenly arose from outside the hosue.

"Oh you poor thing, here let me help you." it said. The Father looked up as best he could to see, his eyes becoming wide with disbelief.

"Minerva! How? When? Why are you alive? The Guardians said you were dead!"

"Then the story they heard was wrong, I am very much alive. I've just been in hiding until my power returns." She said, reaching down and tenderly pulling the arrows from his arms, helping the bewildered and down trodden upright. Her golden hair flowed down her shoulders to the middle of her back, while the right side of her bangs nearly reaching the floor. The light blue halter and skirt she wore gently embraced her athletic body and flowed effortlessly over it. The light in her deep blue eyes was soft just like her skin while her gentle face smiled, her pale pink lips glistening in the light that came from the doorway.

"I've come here to tell you that I've been a fool; It wasn't Corus that I loved. It was you: all these years I've been keeping my true feelings at bay." She said, kneeling down and pressing herself against him.

"Please, can you ever forgive my actions in the past and take me to be yours forever?" the Pixie father was stupefied: Minerva suddenly asking to be his lover? Maybe this is what he had wanted all along, not to destroy her or prove he was better.

"Yes Minerva, I forgive you." he said, putting his stubby arm around her shoulders.

"Good, because you'll be able to see me every day!" her tone of voice suddenly became dark and menacing when something plunged into his chest. The one he had thought to be Minerva held out her arm as a sword of pure magic was driven through his heart.

"Finally I get to kill you!" Eleanor said as she dissipated the sword and then pushed him away with a blast of concentrated mana.

"You have been a thorn in the Black Wing's side since I can remember. And now, you are no longer a problem." She hissed as the Pixie Father slowly slumped to the ground while the strange bluish black blood oozed from the wound as Eleanor dispelled the potion, her body filling out the clothes once more into her curvy figure. Whispers filled the room for a moment as an image of The Mage image came up beside her.

"Yes Master, it is done." She replied happily. The Mage nodded his approval making image before her disappear as his mana golem dissipated. Quietly The Mage walked into the gauntlet room, looking over the machines that whirred off to the side. Three husks were found and only one remained; that no doubt would be the hardest to find to complete stage one of the Infinity Gauntlet, and once it was, there would only need be waiting for the children to find their full power.


	14. Chapter 13: Toys and Tails

Chapter 13: Toys and Tails

Peacefully Jenny rolled over in her cot, waking slightly as Olsen put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, setting her hand over his as the feel of his skin on her back comforted her. The past few days had been rough on them all, especially with the loss the sweet girl Keeny. The only person that she felt she could really turn to in order to hold herself together was Olsen. Sure, it might seem a bit soon to be sleeping together, but it was just for the night so she wouldn't feel so alone or broken. For some reason, she could tell that Olsen felt the same way, and so through the night they held each other together. Slowly she opened her eyes and watched the moon light on the wall, thinking about the previous six months. If you had asked her what she could see herself doing six months ago, she would have told you that she was studying for a test or making reservations at some restaurant for Olsen and her but never in her life would she have imagined that she would play a major role in saving an entire world.

"_Six months ago we were nothing but kids._" She though chuckling to herself and remembering that her birthday would be coming up soon. If time worked the same here as it did back in her home world, her 19th birthday would be in another week, March 30th. A small sound broke her train of thought making her think that it was one of the children that admired her had sleep walked into her hut. She gently pulled Olsen's arm from her waist and sat up when she stopped and froze in surprise as a small man dressed in what looked to be a clown outfit stood at her door. Firmly she shook Olsen, trying to wake him; Jenny at the moment was powerless since her bow and arrows were near the front door. When Olsen didn't wake immediately, she reached over him and grabbed his Blood Gigantic claw, clamping it on her arm and franticly shaking her arm to pull the new Tobi stars into her hand from their storage. With loud clanks, all the Tobis fell to the ground, letting Jenny pick up one and throw it as best she could, trying to copy what she had seen Olsen do. The tobi sailed over the man's head and fluttered out into the night as the man made a motion as though trying to say to keep the noise down. Olsen awoke when he heard Jenny's grunt from throwing the star and looked back at the door to see what it was that she was attacking. When he saw the small man, he leapt from his bed, grabbed the man by the collar and pinned him to the wall holding the edge of his new Serpent's dagger to his throat.

"WAIT, STOP! I'm not here to hurt you!" the man whispered loudly, hilding out his hands and wiggling them back and forth.

"Then tell me why you are sneaking into our room in the middle of the night." Olsen growled.

"You are the Guardian Ninja, are you not?" the man asked with a desperate tone.

"Yes, why?" Olsen retorted, relaxing his grip slightly but still holding his dagger back, ready to strike.

"I'm Mr. Bouffon from Ludibrum and I desperately need your help."

* * *

Jack sat up and rolled his head around his shoulders trying to find a way to get to sleep, and for some reason just walked to the front of Helen's sleeping quarters and sat down outside her hut. Ever since he had gotten back to Herb Town, he couldn't get the nagging feeling out of his head; he kept thinking back to when they had all first come to Ossyria and had made their first kill, the Slime King, and how much it had affected him. But just the other day, he had pounded through hundreds of small pixies as though they were nothing, even enjoyed killing them. Was he becoming a monster just as fearful as the Mage? Helen sleepily came walking up to him, shielding her eyes from the moonlight that shone down outside when she felt his presence.

"Jack, what's wrong?" she asked, pulling her Ebony Gaia around her shoulders as she sat down next to him in the cool of the night.

"Just some stuff rolling around in my head. It's so weird you know? A few months ago we had dreams of what we were going to do after graduation and now look at us." Jack mused, tensing his bicep for a moment. Helen nodded and leaned against him, closing her eyes and situating her head comfortably on his shoulder.

"Yes I know what you mean. All of us have gone through great changes." Jack laughed softly. Even Helen's way of talking had become slightly different then he was used to, sounding more refined then it used to be. When he turned his head forward again, something moved in the underbrush just on the other side of the path in front of Helen's sleeping quarters. Squinting a bit, he leaned forward to try and get a better view.

"What is it?" Jack hushed her as he stood, creeping forwards with his fist drawn up, ready to strike. Helen flexed her fingers, making flames burst into existence, standing at the ready while trying to light the area around them. Nothing seemed to be moving at the moment, but Jack knew there was something out there; he could feel it in his bones. He was about to relax when that something moved again: it was big, really big; block-like in structure. It didn't seem like it was going to move again, and if it was, it would be very slowly. He ran back into his quarters and grabbed his new Psychotic Edge gloves, clamping them on and running back outside as Helen came out of her quarters with her new staff, the Thorns. He drew his fists up as they pulsed red; Jack had a good idea where the thing was, and launched into a corkscrew that landed hard on the target. The thing crossed its arms and stopped the attack and breathily grunted, swinging its hand at him and knocking him back out into the moon light. Jack corrected as Helen launched her own blaze of flames into the underbrush. The thing grunted again coming out into the moonlight, part of its yellow body melted while more of those things seemed to phase into existence behind it.

* * *

Lillianne was awakened by the sound of grunts and thuds far off in the distance. She listened closely for a moment or two, quickly realizing that it was Matthew out in their makeshift training grounds. Getting up and getting dressed in her armor, she snuck past her parent's bedroom as she picked up her halberd, following the sounds of Matthew's attacks. It wasn't long until she found him fully dressed in his new Dark Orientican armor, the large red tassel hanging from the helmet giving him an almost magical look as he swung through motion after motion. The black Tiger's Fang katana glinted in the moonlight with each stroke, silently sweeping through the air looking much like his shattered Lion's Fang. From time to time he would unsheathe the strange Neocora sword from his belt, sweeping through a few double wielding moves only to sheath it and go back to his Tiger's Fang. Lillianne watched with pleasure as Matthew would move: he looked so relaxed and natural with a sword in hand.

Matthew stopped for a minute, pulling the sheath from his back and ceremoniously sliding the Tiger's Fang back into the cheery wood sheath like a well seasoned Samurai. He then took the Neocora from his belt and set both swords beside the weapon's rack where he picked up the large cross spear, thumbing the edges for a moment before launching into a dance against invisible foes while trying out new techniques he had learned: The Warriors Shield and the Mana Overdrive. The Warrior's Shield he had learned by accident when fighting Elliza's clone: by crossing his arms, an impenetrable steel statue would surround him, then absorb and return any attack to the attacker with the same force. The Mana Overdrive was the one technique that he was having problems with: for up to five minutes he could link multiple person's mana together for use, but at the cost of his battle concentration. It could take him up to a minute to conjure the technique since he would not only have to attune _his_ mana to everyone, but also attune everyone's mana to each other which became exponentially difficult as more people were added. Dances assured him that with time and practice, it would become easier to conjure and maintain as he thought about what Dances had told him about the skill.

"_The Hyper Body isn't like the game. Here it is called Mana Overdrive; instead of increasing everyone's Health and Mana points, it combines all your collective mana only by you attuning the frequency of everyone's mana. Say for instance you used your Power Swing, which for argument's sake, we'll say uses 12 mana points to activate it, just like the game. Unlike the game, when that same skill is used with Mana Overdrive, you are using 12 mana points from everyone including yourself at the same time. So if you manage to attune six people in Overdrive, you will be essentially using 72 mana points for the same skill_. _However, you must also remember that in Overdive, everyone can also use your mana in the same way._"

Lillianne smiled as she picked up her halberd and made her way to a hidden position, watching and waiting for him to reapply the Mana Overdrive. Sure enough, Matthew stopped for a moment and folded his hands over the shaft of the spear while every edge and shadow of his body glowed with a dark gold light. When Lillianne was sure that the technique had solidified, she burst from her hiding spot with a battle step and brought her halberd down hard. Matthew turned around, holding up the cross spear making the attack slide off to the side. Lillianne continued with her forward motion by driving the end of the halberd into the ground and swinging her leg up to connect with Matthew's face. Matthew pulled up his arm to block the attack, but was too slow and her foot sent him spiraling towards the weapon's rack. Matthew righted himself and skidded to a stop as Lillianne came rushing after him, quickly scrambling to his feet and grabbing the heavy Blessed Mace as he ran, a red glow appearing around where the hilt would be. Stopping short, he dug his foot into the ground and hauled the heavy mace over his head, hitting the ground with a thunderous sound but missing Lillianne allowing her the freedom to thrust the top end of her halberd forward, unleashing a deadly stream of hot energy at him. Matthew tried to counter by lifting the heavy mace from the ground and send the beam in another direction, but instead was lost in a cloud of dust and smoke as the beam hit him square in the chest.

"MATTHEW!" Lillianne called. She had seen that same attack pierce through a dozen beasts like a needle, so she could only imagine what it had done to Matthew. Quickly she ran to the center of the cloud, searching for Matthew unsuccessfully before swinging her halberd in a tight circle, blowing the dust away. Lillianne let out the breath that she had been holding as she saw the giant golden shield of the Gaia's new form standing where Matthew had been, dissipating and revealing Matthew, slightly shaken.

"Are you sure that you're ready to use the Mana Overdrive?" Lillianne asked.

"I really don't think I have a choice. Where did you come from?!" He replied, getting up and pulling the Blessed Mace from a pile of dirt and walking it back to the weapon's rack.

"I was hiding just behind the bushes. I don't think that you should use the Mana Overdrive for a while; you could get killed out there because of your lack of concentration. You were very well nearly killed just now, and you weren't even attuning another person's mana."

"Lilli, I know. To be honest it's actually harder to do it by myself. Solidifying the technique isn't the problem, but when you have to attune yourself, with yourself… it just becomes like trying to make a box go through a round hole…."

"Hush! I hear something." Lillianne hissed. The two of them listened to the noises coming from the village of gunshots and watched as lightning bolts descended from the sky while pink and green flashes appeared here and there.

"THE VILLAGE!" Matthew reached for a two handed axe, the Shining Edge and began to run back for the village when Lillianne stopped him.

"Wait! I know this may sound like a bad idea, but this will give you a chance to use the Overdrive in battle. I want you to attune to me." Matthew nodded, folding his hands over the butt of the axe and repeating the spell over in his head. Again Matthew's edges and shadows glowed with a dark golden light and slowly began to emanate from Lillianne, but she was unprepared for the feeling of something slamming into her body. For a moment it felt like a headache would pass and then come back, until it was suddenly gone. She felt powerful; hundreds of times more powerful then she had ever felt in her years of training with her father. Was this residual power of the Ruby Crystal or his mana?

"From what Dances told me, anyone beyond us five will feel our Crystal's power, but won't be able to use it. Also remember, you're not only using your mana, but also mine: If I run out, the attunement will break. I'm not sure you'd be able to handle the Ruby Crystal's power." Matthew explained. Lillianne nodded, barely able to keep her body from shivering from the sheer pressure of power coursing through her body unlike anything she had every felt. She was so absorbed in the feeling that she didn't even notice when Matthew left until he was calling her from a ways off. She launched into a battle step, suddenly feeling what it was that Matthew meant: Normally she would surge forwards about 40 feet, but this, this was unbelievable! In the same amount of time she had blazed a path past Matthew nearly 100 feet long leaving the ground scorched and smoldering where she had been. Matthew quickly shivered a bit as the mana she had used of his disappeared. It wasn't much, but it was still strange feeling.

Quickly the two of them ran into the village to see the others fighting off an army of giant block-like creatures. Matthew and Lillianne made quick work of six of them, powering through them as though they were nothing but mush and leaving building block toys behind. Matthew made a mental note of his mana level, and then followed after Lillianne as she swung through another few creatures.

"LILLI! WITH ME!" Matthew shouted, bolting to Olsen as he struggled to fight off three of the beasts surrounding him. Olsen tried to jump out but was suddenly brought to the ground again by a large hand. Olsen blinked against his pounding head as one of the beasts raised it fist high into the air, when he heard Matthew scream:

"SOLAR SYTHE!" the crescent of light screamed over him, leaving rainbows in his eyes as the beasts separated and fell over in halves and then were reduced to blocks as Lillianne swung blindingly fast while Matthew brought the axe down hard on one of them. Olsen shielded his eyes for a moment as the light from the Mana Overdrive hit his face.

"What is that? A new technique?" Olsen asked, his eyes adjusting to the light.

"Yes. I just put it into use. It links our mana together as one. You want in? I won't be able to keep it up long though."

"Count me in." Olsen said. Matthew paused a moment, matching the frequency of both Lillianne's and his own mana to Olsen's. Olsen shivered a moment as the technique took effect.

"Ok, I just need one of you to stay within 15 feet of me otherwise I can't maintain the technique." With a nod, they set off to find the rest of their comrades. Olsen was suddenly surprised by the sheer brute force that his stars had, knocking the block monsters back with as little as a toss, or breaking a monster with a full force throw. Within a few more seconds, the army of monsters had been suppressed just as Matthew reached his limit of maintaining the Mana Overdrive. When it finally wore off, Lillianne was suddenly clutching at her chest, heaving and panting as if she had just fought a battle that lasted an hour. Matthew was about to run over to her when he too suddenly felt overly exhausted, he and Olsen suddenly feeling as if their hearts would burst, heaving as they tried to get enough air. Jenny, Jack and Helen came over to them while Dances, Aran and Kyrin came with them.

"Jenny, what happened to them?" Aran asked, propping up Lillianne as she heaved for breath and tried to relax so that her heart rate would come down, her head pounding with her heart.

"I don't know. We were getting pounded from all sides by a bunch of Block Golems until these guys showed up, glowing gold and took them out easy." Jenny replied, rolling Olsen over onto his back. Dances shook his head as he uncorked an Orange Peel potion and poured a small bit into their mouths, instantly calming their breathing and heart rate.

"Dances. What was it that caused this?" Kyrin asked as she helped Olsen to a seated position.

"I believe Kyrin, Matthew over used the Mana Overdive."

"The mana what?" asked Helen.

"As you would know it, Hyper Body; Here in Ossyria, it is called Mana Overdrive. It is a technique that links everyone's mana together on one frequency, essentially attuning up to eight people's mana to each other. However, there are two conditions that must be met. The first of which as that the Overdrive doesn't pool everyone's mana together, it links it together, forcing your body beyond it limits by anywhere from 2 to 8 times what it is capable of on its own, even beyond that of the Rage. It's like taking a train built to run a maximum of 25 miles an hour and suddenly forcing it to run 200 miles an hour. The second condition has two parts to it: First, it must never be used for long periods of time like you did Matthew, at least not yet. It takes many battle trials together using the Overdrive so that your bodies can become accustomed to running at such a high level. The second is that you must never EVER use it with an apprentice, not even if it is just the two of you. Any apprentice who comes in contact with that amount of power would instantly be killed since they don't have the stamina to recover from the strain."

"What happens when we run out of Mana? Can't we just do it again with the crystal's power?" Jack asked. Dances face turned grave and he looked back to Jack.

"It is possible, but it is far more complicated. By itself the Crystal's power is hundreds of times more potent than mana. It can be done, but you must never attempt it until you have been trained far more. If you have others with you, you can not include them into the attuning if you were to use the Crystal's power. The strain that their bodies would have to go through just to match frequencies alone would kill them. You were born with that power within you, so your body is prepared for the strain of using the crystal's power. Attuning the crystals would amplify that strain exponentially, possibly even leading to your deaths since instead of linking mana, the base medium for your powers, you will be linking four pieces that were originally one." Jack nodded as he unbuckled the Psychotic edges, holding them at his side while Olsen pulled the Gigantic from his arm and introduced Mr. Bouffon, the man that had snuck into his room earlier that night.

"Guardians I need your assistance: recently the Toy Factory of Ludibrum has seemed to have come under a curse. Your parents managed to help us rid the factory of the malevolent toys affected by the Time Sphere's crack and defeating Papulatus, giving us back the ability to make toys again for the children. However, something has happened to the Time Sphere and has begun to affect the toys once again. Nearly all the managers of the factory were chased out and it is guarded day and night by Cronos or the Red Robots. They are building something, but we have no way of knowing what it is that they are building. Can you please stop them?"

* * *

The Mage snorted as he listened to Bouffon told his tale about the toys making something; they were indeed making something, but that would be of little concern right now. It would be at least another few months before the Guardians would be close to ready for what he had in store for them.

"Black Mage, I hope that this will not slow me down." Papulatus whined in his squeaky voice as he walked into the room, nothing more than a walking glow worm with a small vine and two leaves atop his head. The Mage smirked under his mask, casually nodding his head while releasing a growling hiss in the back of his throat.

"You told me that there would be no distractions from completing the Clock Face!" Papulatus hollered, stamping his foot as his older self suddenly appeared, adorned across the upper lip with a grand mustache. The Mage blurred as he moved, standing behind the little worm picking him up before Papulatus had time to react while agitated whispers hung in the air. With a swing of his arm the Black Mage hurled Papulatus into the wall, appearing before him once again wrapping his hand around Papulatus' throat and holding a black flame in the other.

"Is that little pest becoming any trouble for you Mage?" Eleanor asked in a soft voice, glad to be back in her usual clothes walking up to them with a sensual step, setting her hands on The Mage's shoulder. With a calming breath, The Mage shook he head, letting Papulatus drop to the floor in an undignified heap, shifting his questions to a questioning air.

"The Machinist is finishing the last of the calabrations on the Mindrive as we speak. Once that is complete he will run a simulation. All should go according to plan." She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder as she did so many times before. However behind her, a small orange colored muzzle peaked around the corner, perking its ears and watchful brown eyes twitching each of its tails. The three Samiho quickly padded past the door and followed the scent of power into the gauntlet room where they quickly ducked into a dark corner and waited, watching as the Machinist's arms twitched and tweaked on the large metallic hex with the four crystals mounted onto it already. One of the Samiho nodded to another as a second ran out into the center of the room and growled. The machinist turned around so quickly that the small multi-tailed fox whimpered a moment and then regained its courage while the machinist examined him gently. One of the other foxes reached up and plugged in a Hyper-Flash Drive to a consol with its mouth. Within seconds the drive scanned through the magical computer and copied all the data there, making a small green light wink on.

The Fox then reached up and pulled it out, hiding the drive under its tongue and slinking out as the second Samiho moved to keep the attention of the Machinist on him. Once the other two were out, the third darted for the door and ran down the hallway with the others and out of the castle's barrier where they boarded a small pod that winked out of existence, reappearing in the Omega Sector.

"I want to tank you Nine Tail for your help. Without you, we might not have been able to find out what the Mage is doing with all that Mithril Crystal." Dr. Kim said, walking over to the large white fox that lay comfortably in their main office

"It is my pleasure. I may have wanted to rule this world once, but now I want to help save it any way I can." Dr. Kim's assistant Porter took the drive from the Samiho and plugged it into his computer, quickly scanning through the data when he found a file pertaining to what The Mage was making.

"Dr. Kim, you need to have a look at this!" Porter called. Kim walked over to the monitor and read over the lines of algorithms that to any normal person would mean nothing. His eyes became wide as he continued to read.

"This can't be… not even _they_ had that kind of power!"

* * *

Helen looked over her friends as they finally were able to sit up and catch their breath, thinking through their options as to what could be done.

"Dances, how much time would it take to get from here to Ludibrum?"

"It would take about, 4 hours, assuming that you don't have any problems." He answered. Helen nodded as she continued to think while the sky slowly began to lighten as the sun came up.

"We shall go as soon as their ship can be made ready. Captain Shanks' ship is still under maintenance, but I believe the Ticket's ship is still operational."

"I'll go get them." Olsen said, wobbling a bit as he stood.

"You sure? You still look like hell frozen over." Matthew chuckled.

"I'll be fine. We should all get into our armor, I have a feeling this trip will be trying for us." Olsen called over his shoulder as he left. Thirty minutes later they had gathered once more at the docks and boarded the ship as the Tickets were just loading up the last water barrel.

"Well ain't you five just the slickest thing in town! That there new armor of yours is mighty fine if I do say so myself." Joel complimented as he looked up, untying a mooring line from the ship and setting them afloat in the bay.

"Thanks. It's almost like were looking more like royalty as we get better armor." Jack commented, straightening the jacket of his Barone Suit, taking out his new Hades pistol and smacking back the top slider to clear the chamber, checking his pockets for the other two clips he had loaded and stocked in his coat.

"I'd have to agree with that one. You five looked so unsure of yourselves when you first came." Lillianne said, smiling as her eyes met Matthew's, who made sure for the ninth time that he had grabbed his Neocora. It wasn't long until they small group was soaring through the skies, settling into a rhythm as it hummed into a steady altitude where the wind wound its invisible fingers through Helen's long violet hair as she stood at the bow. Jack stood at the helm watching Helen as though entranced, mesmerized by the ebb and flow of her Black Anakarune robes in the winds that danced past her.

"You have to admit, she looks mahty perty." Joel commented, nodding his head towards where Helen stood.

"You can say that again." Jack answered back, when movement caught his eye coming out of the hold of the ship to see Jenny; her newest of armor called the Blue Choro matched the blue sky that surrounding them with slight hues of pink mixed in, resembling something that a samurai might wear. With a single smooth kick of his feet, Jack hopped over the railing of the Helm and landed on deck, catching Jenny's attention when his boots hit the wood hard.

"Where you up in the crow's nest?" she asked, reaching to her hat and playing with the three feathers that stuck out of it.

"Actually I just came down from the Helm." Jack laughed, crossed his arms as his sight wandered again to Helen.

"Your boots must be heavier than they look; it sounded like you came from higher up." Jenny commented, following Jack's line of sight to Helen and inwardly sighed, slightly jealous of what Helen wore compared to her less flattering warrior-like armor, readjusting the cloak around her neck before joining Olsen who stood at the railing, watching the ground far below slowly move back from them.

* * *

Eleanor walked with purpose down to where the Mage's personal pet had been waiting for his chance to get even with those pesky kids. As of late she had been feeling, a bit unappreciated and wanted to find some way of gaining that back from the Black Mage. The Cornian patrol units watched her as she walked by, especially with her heavy hip switching gate; but that's how she had always been, even as a teen. Pulling the cloak around her, she entered into the cool cell of Balrog.

"I understand that the Mage had sent some of the Crimson to their deaths. Would you care to avenge them?" she asked with a smooth tone. Balrog looked over his shoulder and quickly pinned Eleanor to the wall.

"Are you mocking me?" he hissed through his clenched teeth. Eleanor grinned as a hot light surrounded her, making Balrog pull his burnt hand away and lick it to cool the tender flesh.

"The masters aren't with the Guardians this time; the only one that would stand any kind of problem to you would be the Daughter of Aran. Getting revenge would be easy." Balrog growled as he cuddled his hand, trying to stay the pain and then growling commands to the Crimson who flew off on their deadly task, turning back to her with a sneer.

"If any of them die, I will hold you responsible." Eleanor smiled up at him, looking up at him with an alluring yet dangerous look on her face.

"I may not be as powerful as the Black Mage, but it would still take decades before you are able to defeat me." Eleanor chuckled.

"You were nearly killed by the Knights of Cygnus, and yet you say that you are more powerful than I?" Eleanor eyes became dark with anger, remembering the scars she had been given, two of which standing out the most: one on the side of her hip and the other above her left breast. They weren't as visible anymore since she had been using reverse magic on them to perfect her skin once more, but the mental scars still remained.

"And yet you were brought down by mere humans yourself. You who were made purely by the Black Mage's magic. I am the Mage's seminarian, and you are his pet. Never forget your station, Balrog." She growled, turning around and walking with agitated steps out of the bottom hold.

* * *

Alden came up from the ship's hold, looking around for a moment for his master and then padded over to her. Matthew managed to reinstate the cloak form of his Gaia from his arm shield, finally realizing that all he had to do what think about what he wanted it to be standing in the middle of the deck which offered the most room.

"How'd you do that?" Jenny asked, wide eyed as came over to him and caught the corner of the cloak in her hand and looked over it, finding small gold letters embroidered into the hem.

"I learned it from Olsen. On the back just below the neck there's this ancient language. It's only like three or four characters, but it means "think therefore it is". All you have to do is think about what you want and it will change into whatever you want it to be. Only problem is you only have three other forms you can 'program' into the cloak. Once they are, you can't undo them unless you give it to someone else." Jenny nodded as Alden jumped up on her shoulder and rubbed his head over her cheek.

"Alden stop! That tickles." She chuckled, brining him down into her arms and scratching his head listening to him purr in her arms.

"INCOMING!" called Cherry called when something slammed into the side, rocking the ship left as flames curled around the hull.

"Crimson!" Matthew growled, drawing his Neocora making it and his arms flared red.

"Hey, you wanna try that Mana Overdrive again?" Jenny asked, just as the next fire ball hit.

"If we're going to survive this, it's worth a shot, but I don't know how long I'll be able to keep all of you attuned for. I've never done more than three people." Matthew explained, sweeping his sword to the left and hitting a fire ball back as though it were a baseball. Jenny put a hand on his shoulder, clanking when it hit his armor.

"You can do it." She reassured as Matthew took a breath as the others came around. Quickly Matthew dropped the tip of the Neocora down, and concentrated. Lillianne's Mana frequency was the closest to his, so he began there; slowly bringing her frequency up and he bringing his down. Once they were matched, he went to Helen, then Olsen, Jack and Jenny. Matthew felt a bit overwhelmed at the sheer mass of mana that he had to keep in tune, but he soldiered through it.

Helen was the first to attack, pulling back to create a Sacred Arrow that whistled with the new power that it had available to it and let it go, sizzling past one of the crimson. Matthew felt dizzy as the attack left, trying to keep a steady grip on the tuning while everyone attacked at once as the crimson bore down on the ship, and were actually doing some damage to them. Matthew did the best that he could but only managed to scare off the ones attacking the main sails; between managing the attunement and trying to keep from getting hit himself, the attunement soon broke. Jack was the first to notice after his first right plowed through the Crimson's chest and the next merely bounced off, jumping back to barely avoiding the eviscerating, flaming claws. Jenny, Olsen and Helen soon noticed that their attacks were much weaker than before, feeling slightly out of breath.

"Sorry guys, I can't do it." Matthew huffed, holding himself up on his knees to catch his breath. Just as he finished his sentence, three of the crimson concentrated their firepower and hit the ship hard, violently listing it to the right. When the ship stopped its lean, Jenny's heart dropped, feeling the deck leave her feet. Franticly she reached for something as she was flung into the air; ropes, sails, masts… they were all just out of her reach. Olsen looked back to see Jenny reaching out her arm for him, swinging her arms desperately for anything, but especially him.

"JENNY!" He pushed off the deck as hard as he could, grabbing a rope and leaping after her with the aid of his Quartz empowered haste. Just as his fingers brushed hers the rope reached its limit, snapping him back hard as Jenny's hand slipped from his. Jenny's blood chilling scream echoed in his head as she cleared the deck and began falling through the sky. Quickly she tried reaching for her bow and activating a powerful wind encased spine arrow and fired it downwards with no effect. She reached back for another arrow, to suddenly find that all her arrows were scattered in the winds above her. She reached to her Gaia, but then realized that she was in a vast sea of air, her Gaia would be no good here.

"Olsen, haste me." Olsen looked back to Jack as he gripped his shoulder hard.

"What?"

"HASTE ME!" Olsen redid his haste spell, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder as a blurred ancient character appeared over him and wings appeared on his heels. Jack then ran to the railing, swung over and pushed off the ship so hard that the ship listed back left, leaving part of the boards caved in.

"YOU CRAZY PIRATE!" shouted Olsen as he watched him disappear after Jenny. Lillianne put a hand on his shoulder as the Crimson readied again to attack, one of them folding his arms and wings diving after Jenny and Jack.

"You lot better hold on or you'll be thrown off just like them." Called Cherry as she pulled up on a safety lever, and then hauled the throttle past its full throttle point; from under the ship, a large "v" shaped mechanism dropped down, glowing a bright blue, whining as though it were some sort of jet engine. All at once the ship lurched forwards, disappearing into the horizon leaving the Crimson staring at each other.

* * *

Jack did the best that he could to catch up to Jenny, falling like a bullet after her with contrails following his feet. When at last he did catch her, he realized that they were falling just off the coast of what he thought what might be the Korean Folk town at the bottom of Helios tower of Ludibrum.

"Jenny! Hang onto me! I'm going to try and slow us down!" Jack called as he maneuvered to her as best he could. Jenny all too eagerly clung to him as he began running as fast as he could in mid air. His feet began to blur until the air beneath them swirled and howled. It took a while but slowly their decent lessened. Jack quickly became tired as he stopped to catch his breath, making them fall faster again, but quickly slowing them down again until his legs muscles burned and ached. Again and again the pattern would repeat until at last they hit the water as if jumping from the high dive.

"Are you ok?" Jack panted, trying as best he could to keep afloat after breaking through the surafec of the water once again.

"Yes. LOOK OUT!" she called, pulling Jack under the water just as the crimson that had come after them blazed over the surface of the water where they had been just a moment ago. Jenny spun around and took aim at the blurry picture above them, drawing a green spine arrow that left the water like a nuclear missile. Jack was the next to try something that he wasn't even sure would work: forcing as much Ruby power into his arms and shoulders that he could, he forced his fist up through the water creating a shockwave through it. The surface of the water burst with a roar, drenching the Crimson's fur and making him unable to fly due to the weight, pulling him down to the surface allowing Jack to launch into a corkscrew, throwing the Crimson into the air with a broken back. Jenny then re-drew her spine arrow, launching arrow after arrow at the Crimson which passed through its body as though they were bullets, leaving holes the size of golf balls throughout its body staining the water an ire black color. When they thought that the creature had finally been subdued, they swam up to the surface, sputtering and heaving trying not to swallow the salty water.

"We wouldn't have been able to even scratch those things in the game! How come we can here?!" Jenny sputtered, coming to the surface again after a small wave splashed her in the face.

"Remember, the things in the game were just a set of numbers designed to test you once you got to a certain level, getting easier as you go. Here things are alive, actual creatures that can be hurt and killed just as we can. The only difference is whether or not we can match their physical speed and strength. Come on, I see Helios tower just over there, we should be able to reach it after a while if we rest from time to time."

* * *

It only lasted for a few seconds, but the ship's overdrive was soon turned off allowing the ship to drift down to its slower cruising speed from before.

"Is everyone alright?" Cherry asked, as everyone nodded back.

"We got to go back for them." Olsen demanded, quickly stomping up to the helm.

"Olsen, if yer want to go back an' kill yerself, then go raht on ahead. For awl I know you could search fer days an' you might not even fahnd 'em. Instead you maht run intuh them Crimson we just lawst."

"But what if they're injured; they won't be able to swim back!"

"Owsen! It's Jack and Jenny we're talkin' 'bout here. Not only thayat, but we were in saht of Helios tower when they went over. If they stay calm, they'll be able to swim tuh it." Olsen looked down to the deck, his normally bright blue eyes becoming dark and sad as Matthew came up and set a gauntlet on his shoulder as they descended into Ludibrum.

"They'll be fine. Jack is pretty stubborn so I doubt they will have any kind of problems." Eventually Olsen half heartedly accepted that they would be alright and left the ship with the others into the main heart of Ludibrum, The Clock Tower. Right at the entrance stood two of the red robots that Bouffon had warned them about, clinking and clattering back and forth.

"So what do we do?" Olsen asked Matthew distractedly.

"To be honest, I don't know. These things are about level 63 in the game, so I don't know that we'll be able to take care of them very quickly here now that this is real.' Mattew mused, looking back to the robots for a moment.

"I can take care of them." Lillianne scoffed proudly, disappearing with a quick battle step. With one hard downward right cross, the edge of her sharp halberd cut through the metallic bodies, revealing her kneeling down on one knee waiting for her actions to catch up. Silently the top half of the red robots slid to the side as sparks flared from the circuitry and cooling fluid spilled to the ground. Quickly the others followed behind her into the clock tower, climbing over cogs and drive shafts as they descended into the toy factory. Olsen made a motion with his hand as he knelt to the ground, his sharp eyes looking over everything that was before them. Machines covered the entire studded floor, each of them having a black and red glow surrounding the outer gears and belts as brown and pink teddy bears as well as stuffed panda bears rose from the conveyor belt as if being raised from the dead.

"What is it that you see?" Helen whispered.

"Just teddy bears for now, but if this toy factory works like the one in the game, it's only going to get weirder and worse as we go down." Olsen whispered back, looking around for a way.

"We'll go as far down as we can. Once we reach the lower parts you'll be the only one who can go any further to find out what's going on." Matthew observed. Olsen nodded as they all quietly made their way further down into the factory, following the strange hammer sounds drifting up from the stairwells leading further down. The further they went through, a strange feeling began emanating from their path as if an evil permeated the very air they were breathing. Soon something like clinking gears began rise over the air accompanied by the rhythmic click of a pendulum. Olsen held the others back as he poked his head out from the door way to see what it was that awaited them, pulling back in suddenly when something passed over him and floated down to where a group of the same gathered.

"What is it?" Jenny hissed.

"Chronos, and a lot of them." Olsen Answered. Suddenly something bigger floated past the doorway, clinking and clattering as each cog tooth meshed with one another inside of its body with a blue-grey jester's hat atop its head, followed by twenty of the same.

"I'll take care of these. They're nothing more than Platoon Chronos." Lillianne chuckled when Helen stopped her by gripping her shoulder.

"I have no doubt that you could mop the floor with these guys. But think about the rest of us: We don't have the experience or strength to deal with something that powerful…" A noise made Helen stop midsentence as the purring growl of a Master Chronos drew her attention. From the inner portion of its body extended a pinkish light, rotating around in a full circle to create a clock face where the clock hands slammed onto it telling the time of five after eleven. Three smaller clocks appeared above the first as the hands both met up and high noon. The clock face then separated forwards making Helen jump in front of Olsen with her Gaia pulled up to block the attack, defecting it into the wall.

"GO GO GO!" Lillianne shouted, slicing through the Chrono as though it were nothing as the time spell broke. Matthew touched his Gaia as it became a shield allowing him to push through the maw of Chronos. Looking to his right, he suddenly saw a Platoon of Chronos coming straight at him while forming their attack spell. Quickly he stopped and held his arm up, ready for the attack. Just before the seal had solidified, Helen dove at him and pushing him over as the spell sparked off of her own Gaia.

"HELEN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he screamed

"These things do not use normal magic; its time magic. One touch of it and whatever it touches would be aged to dust leaving the rest behind in current time." Matthew growled as he put the Gaia back in its cloak form and pulled the large axe called The Shining from his back, swinging as hard as he could into the face of one of them only to have it spark off of its metallic body. Olsen leapt from place to place, trying to get a bearing on how many they were fighting, but each time having to move before he would get hit by their time magic. Out of impulse, he flicked his wrist and hurled a tobi at one of the chronos.

At first the star bounced and sparked inside its body until in suddenly caught in one of the cogs, making the Chrono shutter and stumble until it finally stopped and fell over on the ground. The other Chronos looked at it for a moment before turning around and beginning their assault on him. Olsen raised an eyebrow: jamming their gears killed them? Quickly he disappeared, gathering his quartz power around his fist as he ran at one of them, reappearing and hitting the first one he came across with all he had, making a small pink ghost sink into the body of the Chrono. Matthew smiled realizing that they just might survive, kneeling down and throwing his hands out while a black ghost-like creature rose from his back. Helen stopped teleporting around the room just long enough to swung her staff and cast the slowing spell, making each of the Chronos easier to hit.

"GUYS! GO FOR THE GEARS IN THEIR BODY!" Olsen shouted, throwing another star into the cogs. Within a few seconds, they four of them had dispatched the weakened Chronos. No sooner though had that been done, then an army of Platoon, Master and normal Chronos surrounded them from all sides.

"Matt,nNow would be a good time to use the Mana Overdrive." Lillianne nervously said.

"Last time I did that I nearly killed you! My dad was right when he said I wasn't ready for it!"

"At this rate you'll never be ready! JUST USE IT!" Helen shouted, calling up her Sacred Arrow to try and push back the closing monsters, then summoning up a bubble of poison, spraying it over them but having no effect. Matthew bowed his head and concentrated as his body glowed gold, honing in on Lillianne's mana frequency first allowing her to begin her attacks, then Helen followed. Just as he was about to begin matching Olsen's frequency, Matthew's mana supply ran dry and the technique was cut short. Helen was only able to finish her now powerful blast of lightning when she felt the overdrive break, teleporting to him.

"Matt, what's wrong?"

"I'm out of mana. Not only do you use my mana as you attack, it also takes a very small amount to match Manas." They did the best they could to keep them at bay, but despite their efforts and the use of their crystal power, the onslaught was just too much.

"Get away from them you filthy VERMINE!" Jack's voice suddenly said, as he descended from above, fists glowing with an intense bluish white light. When he hit the ground, the same glow suddenly burst from the contact point of his fist on the ground, pushing all the chronos back. Jack stood once again, launching into the onslaught and taking down each one as though they were mere slime, his fists buzzing each time he moved. A small band of Master Chronos began sneaking up behind the group as they sat awe struck watching Jack when the same buzz came from somewhere above them, shooting high powered arrows through the bodies of the Chronos. Helen looked back to see Jenny holding a bow with the same bluish white glow in the shape if sinews and the ends of the bow.

"You guys almost got creamed. Good thing we showed up when we did." Jenny called as he held the last Chrono up and forced his fist through its body, making sprockets, springs and cogs fly everywhere.

"Yeah, really." Jack laughed as the low buzz and glow on the both of their weapons suddenly stopped.

"What, are those?" asked Matthew, pointing to the cool silver metallic bracers locked onto Jack's arms.

"Oh these? These are the actual Unwelcome guest Knucklers. They're A LOT different than the game portrays them and Jenny has the bow. I'll explain later. What are you two doing down here anyway?"

"Remember? We were asked to check out what's going on down here." Matthew asked sarcastic.

"I know that, I mean what are you doing fighting the Cronos? You know as well as I do there would be no way we could take these thing on yet." Jack said, unclamping the bracers around his arms and sliding them off.

"And yet you can by just getting some alien tech?" Matthew questioned. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I'll tell you on the way down. Jenny and I were swimming back to what we thought was the base of Helios tower, when it really was the base of Eos tower getting us in some pretty hot water when we managed to get up on the shores in Omega Sector. After some serious drilling about who we were, we were taken to see Dr. Kim who we told about our mission to see what was going on in the bottom of the Clock tower. He then gave us these weapons they had recovered from a huge cube that fell in Omega Sector as part of an alien attack a couple months before the Black Mage rosr. He then told us that these weapons were powered by something that the aliens were born with, very similar to mana. However this energy that powers their weapons can't be removed from their bodies. If it is, the power source self destructs. In order for the weapons to be even slightly useful, a constant small flow of mana needs to be fed into them which the small power core coverts into the bluish white energy you saw, otherwise it just becomes a pretty bracelet." Jack explained. Jenny too came and showed that the bow clamped down on her arm to make a good transfer of Mana.

"So in other words, it uses a lot more mana then a normal weapon." Matthew surmised smoothly, making everyone chuckle nervously as they descended, the strange evil feeling becoming stronger as they went, passing by the slow mouse-like Ticks and Gerble-like Tick Tocks, trying not to raise any alarm so that they could stay at least somewhat safe. Finally they reached the Time Chamber's gateway, leading them to the ultimate of strange beings. All around them for what seemed like infinity, clock faces floated by, each one clicking on its own time. Below them extended a ladder into the dark abyss, where they were unable to see what it was that lay below them.

"I think you guys should stay here since I'm the only one who can remain unseen." Olsen said, as he readied to climb down.

"I'm going too. Irena taught me something similar so I won't be seen." Jenny said in a commanding voice when she adjusted her bow over her shoulders. Olsen grunted and shook his head, knowing that arguing with her now was a losing battle.

"Good luck you two." Helen called quietly as they descended the ladder.

* * *

Dark Lord could be found training in Mu Gong's Dojo, powering through the floors to try and keep his body in top form. Athena watched him as he stared at the bottom for the 18th time, leaning against the dojo's entrance to catch his breath. She decided that for once, she would dress casually: A white tank top and blue denim mini-skirt with a small golden star hair pin pulling back her sandy hair.

"Athena, I didn't see you there." Dark Lord said startled, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders while the sunlight glistened off his sweat polished back and chest.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm sorry if I interrupted." Athena chortled.

"No no, it's alright. I had to stop anyway." He answered as he sat down and crossed his legs, setting down his dagger while pulling his claw from his hand as he caught his breath when part of the sleeve caught the edge of a cut on his wrist. Athena on a whim picked her weight off of the door then came and sat down next to him.

"How do you think they're doing?"

"Olsen is a bit hasty in his attacks, but I think that with time that even that will dissipate. As a whole, they are becoming fine Guardians." Athena nodded in agreement. Jenny had become such a wonderful archer in less than six months; she hardly recognized her sometimes.

"Tell me something Athena, why is it that you never remarried back in the other world?"

"I think you know the answer to that Jin." Athena answered quickly.

"I'd want to hear it from you what the exact reason is. I'm not psychic you know." Athena sighed.

"It's just that I felt none of the other men in that world would really understand me the way Kalib did. There was this, other presence about him that really set me at ease, like he was my other half."

"So I take it that you tried to get remarried once or twice?" Athena snorted and nodded.

"After Kalib the rest of them were just shallow one night standers. Not much for conversation." Dark Lord nodded rolling his neck again and revealing an old scar on his shoulder.

"When did you get that?" Athena asked, tracing the line of the scar down from the top of his shoulder to his bicep.

"That was from a fellow apprentice to my Master and former leader of my clan, Shadow Lord."

"You mean, from _her_?" Athena asked pressingly as Dark Lord nodded. An odd silence passed between them which was shattered by a messenger calling out, running as fast as he could with a large wound cut down the length of his forearm. Just as he reached the porch of the Dojo, he collapsed from the loss of blood while Athena assessed his wound and called for Grendal. Dark Lord picked up the piece of paper the man was carrying, his eyes and face falling making him pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Jin? What is it?" Athena asked, trying to see the note when Dark Lord pulled it quickly away.

"Lady Syl."

* * *

Carefully the two of weaved in between the numerous Soul, Master, and Death Teddy Bears roaming about. Just as they were passing by a powerful Master Death, Jenny's wind cloak dissipated, making a part of her sleeve brush against the creature. The Master Death stopped and turned around, pushing the small teddy bear in its puppet strings forwards at her and readying a Death Charm to fire at whoever it was, but nothing was there, slowly turning back around and continuing on its patrol. Olsen relaxed slightly as he loosened his grip around Jenny's mouth and waist as they hid behind a stack of crates.

"You have to be more careful about that." Olsen whispered, making himself disappear once again. Jenny caught his shoulder before he completely disappeared however, pointing his attention to the lettering on the crates. In bold black lettering were the words "**UPPER CONTROL ROD #1-6**". As quietly as he could, Olsen took his dagger and pried away a piece of board, looking inside to see six thick, steel colored rods, each having the ends glowing slightly. Jenny and Olsen looked at each other and continued down, until they reached a point where hammering and drilling was the loudest. Slowly Olsen looked around the edge of the crate where before them was huge machine painted red with three glowing spheres where eyes would have been.

Inside the skeleton of the machine were a mass of cogs, generators, pulleys, wires and rods forming what looked to be an alarm clock with hands. A series of squeaks and clicks rose through the air as something that resembled what they knew as a Dark Klock, A grandfather clock with teeth, jumped up and down on a handle until it swung down making the creature fall to the ground. Something inside the machine clicked on as the orbs grew brighter. The cogs and pulleys ground into motion while steam hissed from unseen valves as the generators hummed to life. Behind the cogs, a giant pendulum heaved into motion just as a series of cogs and clutches changed position starting the heavy pendulum in the other direction. As it gained speed, it began sounding like a strong metallic heartbeat, hovering as hoses that ran into the white glowing generators emitted threads of blue lightning, the color of the generators changing from white to and ire brownish blue. Suddenly Jenny felt a hand clap over her mouth and another drop onto her shoulder pulling her back. Olsen quickly drew his Serpent's Coil, and lunged forward, pushing the end of the dagger towards what looked to be a face as Quartz power streaked from the tip. The person quickly let go of Jenny and fell backwards, dropping something in the dark.

"Don't hurt me! I just need your help!" a whisper hissed in the dark. Olsen relaxed a bit, but still kept his dagger pointed forward.

"Who are you? And why are you down here?" He hissed. The girl came forward slightly just so the light from the work area illuminated her face. Her hazelnut eyes looked tired from lack of sleep and overstress. Her dark brown hair came down to the small of her back, crumpled and knotted as it was tied back in a sloppy pony tail. Her dress had dirt stains as well and a couple tears at the bottom, knees and elbows raw and red while dirt had been smudged on her face; she couldn't have been more then 14 or 15.

"What's happened to you? You look like you've been through a battle." Jenny whispered, instantly reaching into her knapsack and grabbing a clean rag and some water to wipe the dirt from her face.

"Six months back, I came down here with my boyfriend and a few friends on a dare. But when the mage had risen, the creatures down here suddenly became stronger and faster, far more then we could handle. We tried to get out, but ended up getting surrounded by the Viking Ghosts. My friends tried to fight them off, but in the end, they were just too strong. Since I was the weakest of the group, they tried to protect me while I ran for cover. When the battle was over though, all of them were dead, even my boyfriend who was the strongest of us all, a talented Fire magus, was killed. I tried getting out on my own, but time and time again I would be spotted by the Viking Ghosts and would have to hide. For all that time I lived off the Unagi I had brought with me while just trying to stay hidden, until you came. Oh, Miss Stacy is going to have my head for this." The girl whimpered as Jenny wiped the smudges from her face.

"Stacy? Who's that?" Olsen asked, looking at Jenny quizzically.

"She took over for Athena when she left this world for another. She used to be the instructor who showed you where to go when you were given a chance for new and better powers. I began my training under her, but since I've been down here, I haven't had a chance to get any stronger." She explained, seeming like she wanted to cry but being so exhausted that she no longer had the strength. Jenny looked at Olsen for a moment and smiled.

"_So Stacy is the name of the Bowman Job Instructor for the second job advancement. Hm, I never would have guessed that._" Jenny thought to herself.

"Don't worry; we'll get you out of here. I'll be sure and talk to her for you so that you aren't scolded. What's your name by the way?" Jenny asked gently. The girl's face seemed to light up, even though she was completely exhausted collapsing onto Jenny mumbling as she closed her eyes.

"My name's Antonia." She mumbled, quickly falling into a relieved sleep.

"Yet another life torn apart by the Black Mage. Well, I think we've figured out what's going on here. Shall we go?" Jenny asked. Olsen nodded as he picked up Antonia piggy back while Jenny grabbed Antonia's simple bow, heading back the way they came with news of what they had seen.

* * *

"So, they've seen what it is that is being built in the Clock Tower. Do you think they will try and stall it in its early stages?" Eleanor asked, pushing the cloak back over her shoulders. The Mage slowly shook his head, sweeping his hand to the side and dispelling the image of them he had been watching. He then turned to Eleanor, narrowing his eyes for a moment before questioning whispers arose.

"Thanatos and the Gate Keeper? Their bodily makeup is a type of genetic that has to be made from scratch, so they're being formed although it is slower than we had hoped." Eleanor responded as she walked beside his chair and leaned against it gently. A slightly dissatisfied hiss came from The Mage, raising his palm to the crystal ball to show an image where the Clock Face was being rebuilt. Eleanor bowed her head slightly, passing him a glass of her special Mana potion she had brought with her.

"I will be sure to take them as soon as they have been reborn. From what I understand the Clock Face has just been started. The transfer of the Grace Gear's artificial mana went smoothly." She said happily, making herself comfortable on the arm of his chair.

"That's good. I would be very disappointed if it didn't." Papulatus grumbled who was suddenly pushed aside as Oberon came skipping into the room.

"Hiya Mage! Hiya Eleanor! Where's Eldan?" Oberon asked the Mage happily.

"I have him out at the moment gathering herbs. He'll be back in a bit." Eleanor answered with seductive serenity. Oberon pursed her lips and blew up her cheeks; she had been looking forward to spending time with Eldan when she got back from her time, sighing as she left the room. Eleanor silently laughed to herself, turning attention back to The Mage who had shifted his weight to one side of the chair, silently rubbing his forefinger and thumb against one another.

"I'm sorry to say master, but despite my Wyverns searching there has yet to be any word on where the final husk could be." The Mage narrowed his eyes, reaching for the goblet of potion and swallowing a mouthful as he thought through all the places that Minerva could have possibly hidden the final piece of his puzzle.

* * *

Matthew paced back to the right for the eighth time, gnawing on the thumb of his gauntlet as he walked.

"Matt, could you please stop moving so much? It's making me dizzy." Jack asked, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"They've been down there too long; something must have happened. I'm going." Matthew said urgently when Jack reached out and gripped his arm.

"Dude, you know what the monsters in the game were like; do you honestly think that you, who can be compared to a level 60 chracter, can really take on those monsters that are down there and _survive_?"

"It's better than doing nothing." Matthew shot back until Lillianne walked over to him and put a hand on his chest to stop him.

"I'm just as worried as you are. But you can't keep yourself hidden like they can, not to mention that you're not really the best at staying quiet." She said, flicking his shoulder guard and making the metal ring slightly while raising her eyebrows. Matthew sighed heavily and relaxed, walking back to the place where he had been sitting and slumped down where Lillianne came and sat next to him. Helen shut her eyes as she listened to something sounding like it was coming up the ladder that Olsen and Jenny had climbed down four hours before. Slowly she stood and walked to the edge of the platform, looking down into the blackness below un able to see anything, but most definitely could feel something coming up the ladder.

To see what was coming up, she held her staff out, pulling back as orange flames flared into existence and then roared into a purple blaze when she applied her Amethyst Crystal power to it and released it into the dark below. The arrow looked like a comet as it streaked down the length of the ladder, revealing Jenny and Olsen as they sucked in close to the rungs to avoid the arrow.

"Do you think you can avoid doing that next time?!" Olsen asked and he began climbing again, just a few feet from the platform.

"They're coming!" Helen called making Jack and Lillianne come over to where she was, reaching out their hands as soon as they were in arm's length when Helen noticed the girl on Olsen's back.

"Who's that?" she asked, looking her over for wounds and healing the small cuts on her arms and face that she found.

"Her name's Antonia. Apparently she became trapped down here just before The Mage had been resurrected." Olsen replied, gently setting Antonia down on the ground so as not to wake her while Helen continued to heal the small wound she found.

"That's going to be a bit of a problem." Jack said, rubbing his forehead.

"Why?" Matthew asked.

"Once we determined what was going on down here we were supposed to return to Omega Sector for a briefing about some disturbing news the research team found out about what the Black Mage has in mind. That and we need to escort some much needed medical and military supplies to Keia Village, what we know as Korean Folk Town from the game. Dr. Kim gave us these transporters to give to you once we were done, but they only transport one person each and we were only given six."

"Then how did you get to us?" Olsen asked apprehensively.

"Dr. Kim was able to zero in on your bio signatures from his lab, allowing us to teleport to you via a reprogrammed transporter. But that was only a one way trip, as are these." Jack explained as he held out his hands showing the six shiny devices. Helen smiled as she knelt down next to Antonia and healed the last of her wounds.

"I've been practicing a long distance transport spell Oz taught to me, so I think I can teleport us there. However, I need to get back to the city first before I can use it since I have no idea which way is which at the moment." Jack looked to her worriedly.

"It's a long way from where we are right now to the city outside of the Clock Tower. Are you sure that you'll have enough mana to get you to Omega?" Helen smiled calmly and placed and hand on his large shoulder.

"Remember, my crystal is unsealed now so I can use its power in place of my mana. I'll be fine Jack, there's no need to worry." The muscles in Jack's jaw flexed slightly as he passed the devices to the others before turning and reaching for his transporter.

"Ten minutes; if you don't show up by then, I'm coming back for you." he sternly grumbled, activating the transporter and disappearing in a haze of light, followed by Olsen, Jenny, Matthew and Lillianne.

"I'll be there." Helen said to the dark, sitting Antonia up and draping her arm over her shoulders, walking through the doorway and flitting from platform to platform leaving the strange creatures of time to look around and wonder what it was that had flitted past them. But soon she began to feel a bit tired: It had been a while since she had done so many teleportation spells at once that she was a bit out of practice, not to mention the use of the crystal's power pushed her body a bit further than her mana during the fight. Not much longer after though she found herself shielding her eyes from the sunlight after leaving the shade of the Clock Tower where the Red Robot parts were still strewn out all over the ground from when they had gone in. Once the sun shone onto Antonia's skin she stirred, her eyes fluttering open and then squinting as she blocked out the sun with her hand.

"Wh-where am I? Did I die?" she asked worriedly. Helen laughed through her nose.

"No you are far from dead Antonia." Antonia looked at the person who was supporting her, and was taken aback by what she saw: Long flowing locks of deep violet hair adorned with bronze ropes, gleaming blue eyes and dressed in sleek black robes with golden sleeves flowing in the breeze.

"Wow, you're really pretty." Antonia breathed, admiring her as Helen set her and her Thorns staff down.

"Thank you, you are as well Antonia." Helen suddenly saw the raw marks on Antonia's knees and quickly knelt down, holding out her hand as a greenish-violet glow surrounded the wounds healing them now that she could see more of what she was doing.

"Are you a priestess?" Antonia asked in surprise.

"In a manner of speaking, though there is still much I need to learn before I become a healing priestess." Helen answered, soon finishing with her wounds and standing back up.

"Did you dye your hair that color? And what with that purple color I saw in your healing powers?" Antonia asked; It seemed that this girl was just full of questions.

"That purple color in my healing abilities is the reason why my hair is violet. I am Helen Olman, The Guardian Mage of Ossyria and vessel of the Amethyst Crystal's power." Antonia's eye went wide: her parents had told her about six warriors who would come from another world to save Ossyria one day, but she never dreamed that she would actually meet one of them.

"The two who found me then were…"

"Yes: Olsen Da'Lor, the Guardian Ninja and Jenny Price, Guardian Archer. They also carry with them a Crystal's power." Antonia was at a loss for words: the very people who would save all of Ossyria had saved her!

"Right now however we are on an important mission. Jenny will be able to answer all of your questions later. Right now however we need to go to the Omega Sector where the next phase of our mission awaits. Can you stand?" she asked, helping Antonia to her feet where she wobbled a bit, but soon was able to stand on her own.

"Go to the Omega Sector? You guys must really be close to the doctors there." Antonia commented as she followed Helen to the edge of the city.

"What makes you say that?" Helen asked, though she was really more concerned about looking down to get a general idea of where she would be aiming with her teleportation spell since it did require knowing where you would be going.

"Because no one has been allowed there for years! Not just anyone can go there and knock on the front door. 'Hello, I'm Antonia and I was wondering if anyone would mind if I visited?'" Antonia mocked, acting as though she were looking up at a gate and knocking on it as she spoke.

"From what I was told we were asked to come to hear some vital information. Now stand close to me, we're going to be Teleporting there." Helen answered, beginning the Fire Gear transport spell: flames swirled around them as the hazy image of a gear appeared below. For a moment the flames roared into a wild fire and then died down revealing them just before the watchtower in the Omega Sector.

"Cutting it a bit close aren't we Helen?" Jack asked smartly, shaking his head and putting his arm over her shoulders nonchalantly. Antonia gained her Barings a moment after arriving just ahead of her, looking around at the rest of them in wide eyed adoration.

"You all are…"

"I'm sorry miss but right now there is some important information that needs to be said. Guardians, if you will follow me." Dr. Kim requested, leading them into the watchtower conference room where Akuhl, the nine tailed fox and three samiho waited. Matthew quickly readied his Axe while Jack drew his gun and pulled back the hammer while taking aim.

"Wait! I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help." Alkuhl said, putting up his paws.

"Akuhl here helped us gather this important information, so if you would be so kind as to stand down while we wait for the last of the one needing to be informed…" two shadows passed over the glass roof; one being Evan and Mir landing near the side door, and the second being Shinsoo who had brought Heidrin and the Empress.

"Good. Now that you are all here, I can show you what it was that we have found. Earlier this week, we had sent spies to Edelstein to find out what the situation was since it had been taken over by the Black Wings. Their reports indicated that hundreds of tons of Mithril Crystal Ore was being mined there, but couldn't determine where it was being taken for smelting. Even with the vast array of advanced equipment here, we couldn't find the smelting forge. However, massive power readings were coming from somewhere over Edelstein and in addition, mana readings from the ground have shown that it too is being depleted in massive proportions located at these points." A map of Ossyria came up on the screen showing five points located in Perion, Masteria, Aquarious, Leafre and the heart of Victoria, the Sleeping Wood, the largest of which was in Masteria.

"Again we sent scouts to determine what the cause of this mana depletion, but reports came back negative." Dr. Kim said sadly, Akuhl continuing the report.

"That's when I offered my services to Dr. Kim. I and one of my Samiho went after the group going to Masteria, but when they said that hadn't found anything; we were puzzled. We could see a barrier and passed through the to a completely blank space. However there was a very unsettling presence there. We quickly went back to Omega Sector to tell them what we had found. Since the Samiho and I are magical beings, we were able to see what the humans could not. Dr. Kim asked if I would help him determine what the cause of the power source above Edelstein was. With a Hyper Flash Drive given to one of my Samiho, I stayed behind to guide them should they require my help." Dr. Kim nodded as he once again took over.

"The information that the Samiho gathered and we decoded was… frightening." Pressing a button on the remote, a picture of a fierce gauntlet appeared, having five small orbs on top of the knuckles with something that resembled mechanical veins hanging from the under the arm.

"This is what he is creating: the Infinity Gauntlet. With it, he would have limitless power. Not only would he have the power of the Five Crystals at his disposal, he would also have his own power, the power of a miniature Mindrive, and smaller version of the Grand Gears called the Grace Gears and its artificial mana. But that isn't the end, all the Mithril Crystal ore is being used to make storage tanks if you will for the mana that he has been draining from the earth, since Mithril Crystal is an excellent Mana super conductor." Helen furrowed her brow as she tried to make sense of it all.

"But wait; we five are vessels to four of the five crystal's power, they don't exist anymore." Helen said, perplexed that this would even be an issue.

"Helen, that isn't entirely true." Mir stated, transforming into her human form and coming forwards, standing amid the many eyes glued to her, waiting for an explanation.

"When your parents absorbed the power of the crystals into themselves, the crystal's didn't disappear. Their crystalline outlines are more like containers, bottles if you will, we called husks. Evan and I flew around all of Ossyria, scattering them as we flew not knowing where they would end up landing. The Black Mage has been collecting the husks to put the power back into their original forms."

"But we were born with this power. Athena herself said that the power can't be pulled out of us." Olsen exclaimed but Mir shook her head.

"It can't be removed for another to absorb. However it can be removed if it is put back in the original containers, the Husks. He has three of the four husks and the Dark Crystal, only one husk remains to be found." Mir finished gravely.

"So all we really need to do is get that last husk and he won't be able to complete the Infinity Gauntlet." Matthew suggested, again Mir shook her head.

"That plan is very simple and effective Matthew, but it is incomplete. The points where Mana is being drained from the ground is being sent to the Mage's castle, where the Mithril Crystal storages are. Each one is a castle made from his power. The castle that Heidrin had been held prisoner in was one of these Mana Drills."

"Wait, that castle fell apart after we rescued Hedrin. Was their some sort of connection there?" Helen asked.

"Yes there is. Evan and I have been experimenting with something similar to his Mana Drills: In order for these Mana Drills to stay intact, it must have a power source. Our method uses a stored amount of mana within the center until it runs out. However, the Black Magic Method uses a person's Life Force as the catalyst for the castle to remain until the person's life force is drained completely or the one who created the castle and set the binding releases it. Usually a young person is used as the anchor, but if one is not available a person with a strong will is used instead, which in turn makes a strong life force." Helen shook her head, remembering what it was like going into the dungeon cell where Heidrin was being held, finally realizing that it wasn't time that going by faster, it was her life force that was being drained.

"So, the anchor for these castles is a human. We have to stop them as soon and possible then." Jack stated, punching his fist into the opposite palm when Dr. Kim interrupted his enthusiasm.

"First, I need you to escort this supply ship to Keia Village. Also, I would like to offer you Guardians these weapons as thanks for what you have done and will do in the future." Dr. Kim typed in a password as a drawer slid out from the floor, revealing six weapons resting in form fitting foam.

"These weapons we've recovered from the Cube that crashed just outside of the research facility's walls. As Jack may have told you, they work on a constant flow of Mana, but because of that, they are much more powerful than a normal weapon. Matthew, this is yours: what we assume to be a sort of two handed sword." Dr. Kim said as he held out something that resembled a torch base to him. As soon as Matthew touched the grip, a strange feeling came over him for a moment and then passed. Matthew pushed a bit of his mana into the handle of the sword, the same as he had always done with any new weapon when something inside sounded like a camera flash charging. Suddenly a blue energy hissed into existence from the end of what became a hilt. For a few moments the humming blade that resembled a fork appeared, and then just as it hissed from the handle, hissed out of existence.

"Don't worry, try it again, you get the hang of it." Jack said, clamping on his higher level of knuckler and activating the small blades that hissed out of the sides of the gloves curling forwards. Jenny reached for the more advanced bow and passed Olsen his claw. Dr. Kim reached inside and pulled two staff looking weapons; one he gave to Lillianne which had something on the top that resembled a dragon's head with its mouth closed, while the other he handed to Helen, which resembled a high tech Bow Staff. Matthew looked down at the handle of the sword and found steel plates where his fingers touched the handle. Taking a breath, he pushed his mana into the handle again but this time made sure to keep a small steady flow into it. Again the blue energy hissed from the handle, humming with power and buzzing with every move that he made. Lillianne did the same, finding that the head of the 'dragon' opened its mouth revealing a large tooth serrated blade of a halberd. Helen pushed her own mana into the staff which then hissed out something that resembled computer circuits, sending back into Helen some sort of energy that made her feel more powerful.

"Now you must remember these weapons use your mana to stay in the 'on' position. Each weapon can amplify your initial attack up to triple what you meant, depending on how much mana you push into the power core. What you are doing now is the bare minimum. But if you put more mana into them, you will be able to use their special abilities at higher levels. Matthew, yours is very similar to your Solar Scythe, but sends an arch of its high frequency energy. Jenny and Olsen, both of yours are the same; since your weapons deal with releasing a projectile, the energy from the weapon will split the air around your star or arrow allowing it to fly through a vacuum space. Jack, yours will allow you to create a concussion from the air that passes over your fist. Lillianne, yours will create a pressure wave that can cleave through a six inch steel wall when it makes contact, weather in be the ground or an enemy. Helen, yours is special: when you cast a spell, for a brief moment it will speed up your motions and allow you to ready for and release the next spell before the enemy has time to react to the first, making it seem to you that time is being slowed for you." the six of them admired the weapons they had been given, quickly cutting their mana streams as stowing their new powerful weapons for when they would truly need them.

"We should get going." Akuhl suggested, walking out of the watch town and down to the dock where the loaded ship waited. It wasn't long until they were cutting waves through the water, watching for any kind of danger that might come their way while Evan and Mir flew overhead. Lillianne was walking along the port side when she saw Akuhl sitting on the deck and watching the waves, each on his tails doing something else until he noticed her staring at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Lillianne said apologetically. Akuhl laughed a bit and nodded.

"I can understand why the Guardian Warrior is weary of me. I haven't exactly carved a good reputation for myself in the past."

"I don't think that's it. You see he's from another world where our world has been made into a computer game. In that world, at least from what he's told me, you were a soul stealing fox seeking out a way to become human." Akuhl nodded his understanding, lifting his paw and staring blankly at it.

"I have lived many years and learned many things, magic of all kinds in my quest to become human and rule over Keia Village. But even with the knowledge that I gained, it is impossible for me to become human. It took quite a while for me to accept, and yes I did steal a human soul or two in an attempt to become human, but to no avail. I did return those souls however." Lillianne laughed through her nose as she leaned against the railing next to him, looking out over the water when something on the horizon caught her eye and then became wide as she realized who it was: a rouge group of pirates that had separated from the Nautilus and went their own violent way when Kyrin refused to be what they hoped a pirate should be.

"Matthew! We've got trouble!" Lillianne called as she ran to the main deck. Jenny was the closest to her and came running over to her, looking out over the horizon. Akuhl grit his fangs and curled his claws into the metal plating of the deck.

"Who is it?" Matthew asked, squinting to see what it was that Lillianne saw.

"They call themselves True Pirates. Kyrin told me about them once. They aren't to be taken lightly: If we can hit them while they are still a ways out, we can avoid a battle." Lillianne explained. Matthew nodded his understanding.

"Alright, I'll see if I can hold the Mana Overdrive long enough for Jenny and Jack to get a few good shots in to try and scare them off. If they get here I can't guarantee that I will be able to hold it." Jenny and Jack nodded as the waited for Matthew to link their mana together. It felt like an adrenalin rush that surged through their body as the Overdive was solidified. Helen waved to Evan who flew down allowing Jenny and Jack to climb on and fly them out to the pirates. However they miscalculated when grappling hooks rang off the deck, clanking loudly as they gripped the side of the ship behind them.

"BEHIND US!" Olsen yelled, activating his new high tech claw and launching a few stars which almost seemed invisible due to the vacuum space. The first star cut through the ropes holding the hooks, but were quickly replaced by others. Matthew drew his new sword and activated it, the energy glowing white as the first of the pirates climbed over the side only to be met with the pummel of Matthew's sword. Six more jumped over the side and drew their guns. Quickly Matthew ducked down below his cloak while Olsen dove for cover and Helen called up a wall of ice making the bullets snap off in a random direction. Just as the bullets stopped, Matthew threw his cloak aside, stepped forwards and spun around as he pushed more mana into his sword, releasing the powerful wave of energy making the pirates have to duck allowing the others to run in. Jenny and Jack were facing their own problems: Jack had jumped off Mir, drawing back his fist and slamming into the deck of the ship with enough force to make the water ripple, when the crew surrounded him with swords and guns pointed at him. With a scream, the first of the group charged at him but just missed stabbing him as Jack spun around and pushed his hand up, then plunged the energy blades of his knuckler into the chest of the pirate. Jack froze, quickly jumping back as he watched the man first kneel to the ground and then fall over with the holes in his chest spilling blood onto the deck.

"_What have I just done?_" Jack asked himself, looking at his jacket and knuckler which had drops of blood streaked across them. Jenny watched from above as she disabled the ships until she saw the pirates surrounding Jack closing in on him as he stood frozen.

"JACK! MOVE!" she shouted, but he still did nothing. Quickly she drew two arrows from her quiver and let them go with a force rivaling Jack's guns, striking the pirates in the back. She hadn't time to worry about what she had just done, the ship was about to blow from Evan's fire attacks on the ship. Quickly she led the catatonic Jack to a rope, attached it to an arrow and then shot it high into the air which Mir caught in her mouth and pulled the pair off the deck just as a flower of flames erupted from the ship, deactivating their weapons.

Matthew swung left but swung wild as the pirate ducked down and then swept his feet from under him, holding him down with the end of his gun pressed to his temple. Olsen and Helen were quickly brought down as well with Akuhl, Lillianne and Alden all tied up beside them. A new set of boots sounded like they were clomping on the deck as Matthew struggled to free himself and see who it was. From what he could see, it was a woman dressed in a knee length white, sleeveless dress with a fur trimmed white cloak around her shoulders. Her auburn hair came just below her jaw line, but long enough that her bangs covered her left eye with a gold medallion tied in her hair.

"So these are the famous Guardians of Ossyria. I never would have guessed that they would be children. Which of you is Olsen?" She demanded in a mild voice. None of them spoke as they struggled to get free when something landed hard on the ship's deck.

"Let them go, they have nothing to do with our feud." Olsen recognized the voice instantly as his dad's voice.

"Well, it looks like my search is over; I've been looking for you, Jin." The woman said darkly, sounding as though she were smiling.

"Even now you still seek my blood, Syl? Haven't you heard what happened from Dances with Balrog?"

"Lies Jin, we settle this now!" the woman hissed. Helen turned her head under the man's pressing weight enough to see Syl, Dark Lord, Shinsoo and Cygnus standing aggressively across from each other when the both of them disappeared then appeared again, each of them struggling against each other to hold off the sharp daggers they had drawn.

"Jin, before this day is done, you will have fallen!"


	15. Chapter 14: Healing, Hearts and

Chapter 14: Healing, Hearts and Breaking Free

Dark Lord pushed Syl back with force, readying to unleash a giant poison drenched shuriken when he froze from the sound of a hammer being clicked back. Looking quickly he saw that Matthew had the barrel of a gun shoved into his mouth with a trigger happy pirate just itching to blast the boy's brains out smiling toothlessly behind him.

"I wouldn't make any sudden moves Jin, or any move for that matter. Kain there has a bit of an itchy finger. Twenty of the men under me are dead all because of these young ones here; they were like family to me and you think that I won't let it go unpunished?" Syl asked, kneeling down and dragging the edge of her razor sharp Moonshadow dagger across Matthew's cheek, cutting a straight line through his skin and letting the blood ooze to the ground. Matthew squirmed a bit but was held down even harder by the pirate above him.

"I wouldn't be so underestimating of them Syl." Jin purred, grinning slightly as he relaxed his stance.

"Be quiet you traitor! You forget that it I am not here to sully my hands with the likes of them. I am here for you and you alone. Surrender and I will spare your 'Guardians'." Matthew bit down on the gun slightly as he growled as her words trying to think of a plan when he felt some mana disappear and realized that he still had the Mana Overdrive active. Slowly a small breeze rose over the water accompanied by a low droning buzz. Matthew looked to Olsen and motioned with his eyes towards the sky. Oslen pointed out and swung his finger in a circular motion, as if saying "tornado"; Matthew squinted and nodded slightly as the breeze became stronger.

"We are the Guardians of Ossyria. And we will not be so easily defeated. You see that in the sky?" Olsen asked, pointing upwards as best his could. Syl turned back to him with fire in her eyes; how could this child could be so obstinate? But when she looked up, she was met with the sight of Jenny holding a potent Wind Bomb Arrow, radiating with emerald color as if it were the sun itself, winds churning and swirling around the tribal designed alien bow.

"And what will that accomplish? It's just a single arrow." Syl replied smugly.

"JENNY! AIM FOR THE LEAD SHIP!" Olsen shouted. Jenny snapped her aim to the large galleon and released the arrow as a pressure wave ripped through the air, surrounding it in a Vacuum Space via the bow. A narrow beam of light appeared as the arrow shot down, plunged through the deck of the ship and then obliterated it in a dome of green light, creating a huge wave. Mir flew down to the deck of the ship where Jenny skidded to a stop and held her cloak out, closing her eyes and imagining a barrier the size of the ship. When the wave was just about to hit, a large seal suddenly appeared, blocking the water all along the side of the ship until the wave dissipated leaving Syl impressed. Matthew then looked to Olsen again when he felt the Overdrive break. Jenny had most likely run out of mana; Matthew thought about trying to re-align them using the crystal's power when the exhaustion hit him again, making his chest hurt as he panted, as well as the others.

"Is that all you can muster? Just one puny shot like that?" Syl scoffed, inwardly shuddering at her display of brute power. Jenny growled and tried to reactivate he bow, but it only sputtered and sparked instead of radiating that blue energy from before. Mir landed next to Shinsoo, where Jack still sat in his absent state of mind while the image of him plunging his Knuckler blades into the chest of another human being played over and over in his mind. Matthew struggled to turn his head, finally able to see where the Alien sword lay just out of his reach. Suddenly the pirate holding Helen down screamed in pain, holding his hands from being severely burnt.

"No. That isn't all we can muster. And we're not even fully trained yet." Helen shouted as her staff stopped its buzzing as she cut the Mana flow, but then roared back to life in a violet color with the case radiating an aqua color, buzzing in a higher pitched note. Jenny realized that she still had the crystal power to use, channeling that power into her bow which made the energy sizzle into existence in a green hue. Olsen growled as he made a quick jerk of his arm, freeing him from under the pirate and enabling him to suddenly appear a short distance away, his claw humming with hot pink energy. Matthew pulled his arm free and buried his elbow in the face of the pirate holding him down, drawing his Neocora and pushing the pirate back with multiple swings which allowed him to pick up the alien sword, the blade tearing into existence being super charged with a blood red energy emanating from the blade as it burned away the anodized color on the handle, revealing the naked metal below. Syl became overwhelmed, but still refused to let her apprehension show in the face of her sworn enemy.

"If you want to tangle with us, you best be prepared to bring the Black Mage himself." Matthew growled, raising the alien sword as if ready to strike. Syl looked around at everyone, suddenly feeling very outnumbered and underpowered.

"Fine. For now you have escaped us. But I will be waiting in the shadows, Jin." Syl finally said mockingly, as she bowed to Dark Lord and slid down the ropes to her waiting life raft with the others, and rowed back to her remaining ships allowing them to continue on their way. Helen deactivated the staff and clipped it to her belt, turning to return to the helm where she had stashed her original staff when she noticed Jack, still sitting on Mir with a blank and stunned expression on his face.

"Jen, what's with Jack?" she asked, watching as Mir picking him up by his shirt collar and set him down on the deck before returning to her human form.

"He was fighting off the pirates on one of their ships and I think he killed one of them. All I could see was that one of the pirates just fell over and he just stood there for a while." Jenny explained as her expression fell.

"What about you? Are you ok?" Jenny shook her head as her eyes darkened.

"I don't know: I shot so many people; I'm just trying not to think about it." Helen put her hand on her shoulder and then walked to Jack, her eyes saddening when she saw the blood on his white shirt and the case of his alien knucklers.

"Jack?" As if awakened from a trance, he looked to her and then rushed to her, wrapping his massive arms around her shoulders and just holding her tightly, desperate for reassurance or forgiveness.

"What have I done Helen? I killed a person who I was sworn to protect." Jack whispered with a shaky voice. Matthew closed his eyes tried to get the image of what he had done out of his mind. He had overheard what Jack had said as the short skirmish ran through his mind again, the disheartening image of him swinging the alien sword down across the chest of one pirate and then feeling the blade run through another that had snuck up behind him. He felt sick that for one brief moment that he was actually enjoying himself. Olsen walked over to Jenny as she at first stood at the railing and then fell to her knees, retching hard as her previous meal was spilled into the water below. Lillianne came up behind Matthew and placed a hand on his back running it back and forth over the cool armor, and then massaged his neck over his long, crimson hair.

"Have you even killed anyone, Lilli?" Matthew asked with a subdued tone. She nodded her head as she clipped the deactivated alien halberd to her back.

"Once." She replied, thinking back to that terrible moment when her blade came down on the poor man she had been fighting and watching how easily her blade passed through his flesh; she still had nightmares about it from time to time. Matthew nodded as he took the red tasseled oriental helmet from his head and let the rest of his hair flow in the breeze, some of which covered his eyes slightly hiding the thin silent streams of tears falling down his cheeks. Helen led Jack back to where Matthew stood, followed by Olsen and Jenny who lobbed her bow, crossbow, arrows and her new alien bow into the center of the circle.

"If this is what we have to become to save the world, I'm not sure that I want it, or this power." She said, taking her hat from her head and running back to her quarters, Olsen and Alden running after her.

"So that's it? You're just going to _let_ one of your team mates quit because they've spilled human blood?" Dark Lord asked coldly as he walked into the space that Jenny and Olsen had previously occupied.

"What would you have us do, Jin?" Helen asked bitterly.

"Push on. From this point, you have tasted the bitter flavor of killing another human being. This is war, and it's only going to get bloodier: you five the one thing that can stand up the Black Mage. If you can't do it, then who will? It took the life of Minerva and very nearly took the life of Aran; if they could barely do it, how do you expect us to do it?" Jin growled. Matthew couldn't say anything; or rather he wouldn't say anything: Jin was right. From this point in time, the distinction between who should live and who would die would become harder to see." Lillianne stood and was about to slap Jin across the face when Matthew put his arm around her shoulders and waist, stopping her in mid swing.

"Decide what you will; as soon as we deliver these supplies you must deploy to Masteria. Aran and I were given the report from Dr. Kim and I was sent me to tell you." Helen looked up to Jin and then explained about Antonia who they had found in the Clock tower and left back in Omega Sector. Jin snorted slightly, looking over his shoulder as Antonia dismounted Shinsoo and reached back to pet his muzzle.

"I tried talking her into coming back to Herb Town with me, but she insisted on coming here and going with you." Jin sighed. Jack chuckled at his explanation, gradually beginning to accept the reality of what he had done and what he would do.

"I'm not sure that Jenny is in the right state of mind to accept an apprentice right now." Jack chuckled, wiping the blood from his knucklers, taking off the alien ones and re-equipping his Psychotic Edges, clanging the blades against each other as if solidifying his resolve.

"Jenny's mind is in complete chaos at the moment. Perhaps Antonia can reach her." Helen explained, watching as Jin said goodbye to Antonia, then mounted Shinsoo and flew off towards Herb Town once again leaving while Antonia walked over to them in a giddy struggle against herself.

"Wow, lemme just say that standing in your presence is really…"

"You don't have to treat us like we're some kind of royalty." Olsen said, cutting her off as he came back from Jenny's quarters with a solemn expression darkening his face.

"Well, you're all just so much more powerful than I am. it's kinda hard not to. Not only that, but you're supposed to be the ones to stop the Black Mage!" Antonia said excitedly, looking around at them and feeling slightly less bubbly when she saw their down trodden face, suddenly noticing that the one she wanted to see wasn't among them.

"Where's the archer?"

"Her name is Jenny." Olsen replied, suddenly caught in Helen's intense gaze who motioned to Antonia and then nodded to him as if to say to take Antonia to her.

"I'll take you to her room." Olsen offered, picking up Jenny's bows and arrows while leading the excited Antonia back to where Jenny had disappeared.

"This is so _COOL_! I get to meet the Guardian Archer in person! I've only heard prophesies about the archer!" She squealed, dancing in place as she walked alongside Olsen.

"Just, don't go overboard in your excitement. She's… not really herself right now." Olsen warned before knocking on the door then setting her bows on the deck beside it and leaving. Antonia took a breath and waited for Jenny to answer her door, but when nothing happened she knocked again. From inside the room she heard Jenny's muffled voice.

"Go away." The tone of voice sounded cold and heartless, but Antonia was determined to become her apprentice, so there was no turning back. After taking another deep breath, she turned the handle and went inside the room.

"Lady Jenny? It's me Antonia. The one you guys rescued from the Clock Tower."

"I said GO AWAY!" Jenny growled as she sat in the middle of the bed, her legs drawn up and her face buried in her arms, her cloak and armor spread out on the floor, dressed in a simple shirt and short shorts.

"Lady Jenny, Please make me your apprentice!" Antonia suddenly asked, bowing down on the floor and awaiting her reply.

"No." Jenny said after a long and awkward silence. Antonia sat back and began almost to become desperate.

"Please! It has been my dream to become a master archer! And now I have a chance to learn from…" Jenny uncurled her legs and stood, roughly pulling Antonia to her feet and stared her in the eye with a cold, murderous light.

"I said no, that is final!" Jenny seethed, quickly opening the door and throwing her to the railing, bending the bars that were there from the force and slamming the door shut, sparks skittering across the deck. Antonia was confused: she had heard so many things about how the Guardian Archer was going to be this great person, able to defeat a thousand foes with just a single arrow. But the person that she met wasn't at all what she expected. She heard Olsen chuckle a bit and helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Antonia rubbed a spot on her arm that had begun to bruise.

"Yeah, I think so. Is she always like that?"

"No, she's just confused at the moment. I talked to the others and apparently she just killed her first few people. Matthew and Jack are going through something similar, but she's taking it a bit harder. Just give her some time to come around. Who knows, you might even be the one to bring her out of this. In the mean time would you give us a hand in unloading the supplies? We're heading out on a mission once we're done. Matthew has agreed to let you come, but you must follow any of our orders as though they were Jenny's." Antonia nodded, saying that she would be down in the moment giving her time to walk up to the door again, knocking on it softly.

"Jenny? I know you're going through a rough time right now, but the world still needs you. I need you. So if you ever wanna just talk, lemme know, Master." She timidly said, setting Jenny's bows upright next to her door, and then running down to the main deck to help the others. In the room, Jenny shut her eyes and buried her face deeper into her arms.

"_I want to save everyone I can. But… I'm slowly becoming… something that I don't want to be. Olsen, I'm scared of myself, help me, please."_

* * *

Dark Lord and Shinsoo made good time back the Herb Town where he gave his report to the Empress and the other masters.

"I feared that this day would come, but I never imagined that it would come so soon." Aran said, down trodden when he heard that Matthew, Jack and Jenny had made their first kills of another human being.

"Jenny however has rejected her bows. Should I send Athena to take her place?" Dark Lord asked. Dances shook his head in protest.

"Right now she needs to work through the pain herself. Sending Athena to take her place will only solidify what she believes about herself: that she isn't fit to be what we have made her." Athena nodded in response.

"I believe you 're right Dances. I can still remember very clearly how I had felt when I had first killed someone. I took a while, but it was one of my students that brought me out of my daze."

"Speaking of students, Jenny has an apprentice of her own." Dark Lord continued.

"For now, all we can do is wait and hope that Jenny doesn't completely give up just yet." Athena said, the others nodding as they returned to their patrols around Herb Town when something jabbed at Dark Lord's senses. Athena took notice, reaching for her cross bow and was about to ask what the matter was when Dark Lord jumped into the air and disappeared into the distance when a violet hex appeared below his feet and sent him flying through the air. Athena then began running after him feeling a bit concerned for his safety, however not as a comrade. Athena shook her head trying to shake what she thought was really happening to her. It wasn't long until she caught up to him, hiding behind a tree and making eye contact. Jin touched two fingers to his eyebrow and pointed forwards, then slowly swept his hand to the right ending with a quick jerk of his fist down. Athena nodded, clipping her cross bow to her belt and pulling her bow over her shoulders. A green light surrounded her eyes looking like glowing eye shadow as she scanned the area, looking for any sign of movement when something white caught her eye. With a quick draw she launched a powerful Mortal Arrow at the tree where the white cloak blew, pressure rings appearing from the tip of the arrow as it left her bow. Just before it was to hit, Syl leapt from her hiding spot and hurled her dagger towards Athena, running at Jin. Athena countered the dagger by sweeping her hand to the left as a dummy shot up from the ground and caught the dagger in its chest dissipating into a cloud of mana. Dark Lord launched towards Syl with blinding speed, disappearing as he drew stars from his claw causing only the leaves to give away his position as he flitted in and out of sight, finally stopping while he held back Syl's sharp dagger. Athena grabbed her crossbow which froze the bolt and shot with the same force as her Mortal Arrow.

Just as the arrow was to hit, Syl reached to her belt and tossed a flash bang into the air, watching as the arrow barely missed her cheek until the flash bang exploded, leaving Athena dazed and unable to focus. Just before the bomb had gone off, Dark Lord managed to shut his eyes and cover his ears avoiding the head pounding explosion. Syl suddenly appeared next to Athena, picking up her thrown primary dagger ready to strike as she lunged for Athena, dark violet seals swirling around Syl as small flames flared into existence around her blades. Dark Lord stood at attention and mumbled a seal as black tornados appeared from thin air between Syl and Athena. Syl's eyes went wide as she quickly deflected the hundreds of knife strikes, continuing forward until she flipped forward and planted her feet hard on a red seal that launched her away from the cutting winds which dissipated just suddenly as they had come. Athena had recovered from the flash bang enough to draw an arrow, the Dragon's Breath, solidifying around the bow and launching with a growling force. Syl finally corrected herself with just enough time to cross her arms as the Dragon-like image blazed past her, taking with it a large chunk of her cloak and blowing away the trees that stood in the arrow's path.

"I see: it seems that I will have to use stronger techniques against you two if I am going to win." Dark Lord suddenly appeared before her and struck her across the face, a small green ghost sinking into her skin and making Syl feel disoriented.

"I see you're still using the same tricks Jin. It's no wonder you had to kill my father to gain the title of Dark Lord. MY FATHER WOULD HAVE NEVER ASSIGNED YOU AS THE SUCCESOR TO THE NIGHT LORDS! YOU WERE LIKE A SON TO HIM AND YOU SPILLED HIS BLOOD! Now, I will show you something that not even you have seen." Syl closed her eyes when something looking exactly like Syl appeared beside her, weapons and all. Syl then lunged at him, stabbing his body so fast that the very air seemed to bleed.

"JIN!" Athena yelled when saw the stabs buffet his body. Syl leaned in close to his ear and whispered with a smile on her face.

"Now you know what my father felt." Her smile was sinister as she backed away, which turned to confusion when Dark Lord first smiled then winked as a log statue took his place. Syl Looked left and right until she felt the sharp edge of Jin's dagger on her neck from behind.

"Take one step and I will spill your blood." Jin hissed. Syl held up her hands and dropped her daggers, trying not to provoke anything further.

"Why don't you finish me off the way you did my father you traitor!"

"Because I didn't kill your father! What were you told? Or better yet, what did you believe?" Jin asked, pressing the edge of his dagger to her neck slightly. Syl took a breath and was about to reach for her spare dagger called a Katara when Jin pressed the dagger even further into her neck. Syl took a sharp breath and relaxed her shoulder, releasing her grip on the katara's hilt.

"My attendant Ryden had followed you when you had gone after Shadow Lord against his orders. But when he arrived to where you were, you were pulling that very dagger from his chest. After Shadow Lords's burial and you had been named the Leader on the Night Lord's, he told me what happened. You were the one that sent that note to lead him away from Kerning where you would have had the obvious advantage over him, and then when he wasn't looking you struck him. Ever since then I swore that I would hunt you down and kill you myself." Syl said on the verge of tears.

"Then you haven't heard the whole story." Jin replied in a despondent tone.

"THEN WHAT IS THE WHOLE STORY!" Syl roared, making Jin's dagger slip and cut her skin split her skin in a hairline cut, jerking the blade away from her skin slightly to prevent further injury.

"Shadow Lord had received a message from Tristan telling him that he and Dances with Balrog would need his assistance in defeating a monster. Yes he told me to stay put, but my unsatisfied pride told me to go along because I could be of some good. When I made it to the Sleeping Wood however, Shadow Lord was no longer himself; something had happened to him that made him become nothing more than a destructive force, using everything that he had every known to tear the Sleeping Wood village apart. I tried to stop and reason with him, but it was all I could do just to keep from getting killed myself. However for a few moments he did regain himself, telling me that the creature they face, the personal pet of the Black Mage, Balrog, had taken over his mind and was using his body to continue his destruction even after Dances and Tristan had slain him. As Balrog slowly began taking over once again, he told me that he would have to be destroyed in order to stop him; I tried to convince him that there had to be another way. But it was with his last ounce of sanity he said it was impossible and lunged for me so as ordered, I killed Shadow Lord. Not as an act of violence, nor to become the leader of the Night Lords. I did it, at the request of my master." Jin took the dagger away from Syl's throat and stood silent for a moment as did Syl, shaking and gritting her teeth as livid tears began to run down her cheeks.

"Liar. LIAR!" she screamed, reaching for her Katara and swinging right where his neck would have been had he not taken a step back. Flames flared on her blades as she lunged forward while an ancient symbol appeared where her dagger plunged forward making thousands of blades made of light stab out the back. Dark Lord quickly initiated his invisibility to counter her moves, but everywhere that he went Syl was right there waiting with another deadly attack. Athena tried to keep up, but their movements were too fast for her to follow. When they both stopped, Jin had taken refuge in a tree while Syl leaned against another, panting as she caught her breath. Her hair had become a wild mess and her eyes danced with a feral rage, her knuckles white from her hard grip on the daggers.

"If you won't let me kill you, I know she will." Syl laughed with an almost insane smile in her voice. Taking a deep breath, Syl shifted her weight back on one leg and brought the pummel of her Katara to her palm, wiping something onto the blade while black aura steamed from it. Athena's eye went wide as she saw the aura disperse into the air.

"JIN! That's Black Magic!" She hollered, drawing her bow while summoning flames around the Spine Arrow she conjured to counter the impending attack. Jin shook his head in worry: that was no Black Magic but it was just as potent. He had seen Shadow Lord use this very technique once or twice before, and he knew the devastating effect that it had on whatever the target was. Activating a seal, small blue wings appeared on his feet as he leaned forward on the branch and used it to push off, shooting down to where Athena was, just as. Just as Athena let her arrow go, Syl launched into her attack shattering the arrow when it hit the dark whirlwind that she had become. Athena went to draw her bow again but when she stepped back, her foot slipped off the side of a rock. Syl grinned to herself as she watched Athena fall and forced herself to twist harder when something dove in front of her and took the air splitting hit kicking dust up all around them. When the dust lifted, it revealed Jin's leaning into her attack, shoulder and part of his back having been reduced to bloody, torn mess. Blood had splattered all over Syl, creating a small puddle on the ground as if rain had fallen. The smile that spread across Syl's face became sick as she dug the her dagger further into his shoulder, making Dark Lord's face mask explode into a flower of red, coughing up a large glob of blood.

"At Last Jin! You will feel what it was like for my father!" Syl shouted, yanking the dagger from his flesh while Athena reached forward to keep him from hitting the ground. However to Syl, the sweet victory lasted for only a moment until something felt as if it hit her in the head, throwing her back towards the ground. _When she opened her eyes after the initial reaction,_ _Syl looked all around as she tried to gain her bearings, but everywhere she looked was nothing but a great white expanse that seemed to go on for eternity itself._

_"ANOTHER OF YOUR TRICKS JIN? IT WON'T WORK THIS TIME!" she shouted to the white expanse, with nothing coming in return when she suddenly heard a familiar voice._

_"Syl, what have you done?" she froze in surprised anticipation, recognizing the voice as her father's, slowly she turned around to see him standing in the midst of the expanse. With calm movements he removed the black bamboo hat he always wore revealing his jet black hair neatly combed back, and pulled down his face mask as his comforting dark eyes met Syl's._

_"Daddy?" Syl questioned, dropping her daggers and running to him hitting him with enough force to almost knock him over, holding as tight as her arms would let her._

_"My dear Syl. My how you've grown since the last I've seen you. You've become a lovely young woman, despite my absence." The former Dark Lord said, stroking the top of her head lovingly._

_"I've done it father. I have finally avenged your death!" Syl said shakily as she clung to his armor even tighter. Shadow Lord bowed his head and placed a hand on her shoulder._

_"Why did you feel it necessary to avenge my death?" he asked._

_"Because that traitor Jin was the one that killed you in order to become the next Dark Lord." Syl cried. Syl's father only shook his head, kissing her forehead almost apologetically._

_"Oh my sweet little Syl; You've been carrying around an unfounded burden all of these years. I know that it must have hurt all the more since you and Jin were becoming quite close to one another. But my death wasn't in an attempt to gain my throne; it was the only way that I could keep you, my most precious of treasures safe." Syl backed away from him slightly, seeming confused._

_"I'm sure that Jin told you the story of what happened when he so blatantly disobeyed my orders. But what he tells you is true. Yes, appointing himself as the leader of the Night Lords may have made his actions seem sinister, but that was Jin's way of making sure that you were safe as well." Syl's eyes darted back and forth as she became lost; for so many years she was sworn to kill Jin with her own hands, but now, she was faced with the truth that her path of vengeance had been misguided._

_"What? No, that can't be. My most trusted attendant Ryden had seen Jin pull the dagger from your chest! He told me that…"_

_"Ryden has always felt the need to find a way to usurp my leadership. Even before you were born, even before I met your mother, Ryden was always trying to find ways of turning the other Night Lords against me. There was never any proof that he was, since he would conveniently see only that which mattered enough to be damning." Syl closed her eyes and rested her head to Shadow Lord's chest, gripping his shirt harder while the truth of her unfounded rage continued to set in._

_"If he was so treacherous, why did you charge him with my safety?" Shadow Lord chuckled at his daughter's question, thinking back for a moment before answering._

_"Ryden presented a fairly convincing argument that he would be changing his life for the better not long after you were born. Minerva only knows what was truly in his heart, but I accepted his penance and charged him with keeping your safe with the additional warning that should he in any way cause or allow harm to come to you, that I would personally behead him." Syl nodded against Shadow's chest; Ryden had been killed after the rise of the Black Mage had been resurrected. Now that she was presented with a side of Ryden that she never knew, she questioned in her own mind if Ryden had truly seen the whole event of Shadow Lord's death._

_"What will I do now Father? I've spilled the blood of an innocent man." Syl finaly asked after wrapping her arms as tightly around him for what felt like hours._

_"Jin won't die so easily. You may even ask his forgiveness: I think you'd be surprised at what he'd say." Shadow Lord finished, easing his grip around Syl and putting on his hat._

_"I must be going now, but as long as you think of me, I will live on in your memories." He smiled, slowly turning and walking into the white expanse. Syl beginning to run after him, calling for him, but no matter how fast she ran or how many steps she took, her father kept going further and further away. The white expanse suddenly vanished _and she was left standing with her hand out, facing the forest where She and Jin had been fighting. Sadly she closed her hand and held it to her chest as tears began silently falling down her face, collapsing to her knees just as Grendal and Aran arrived who had both seen Athena leave Herb Town and not return. Dark Lord coughed and gritted his teeth against the inferno of pain on his left side while Grendal first cleaned, and then slowly healing the wound. Aran walked over to Syl, grabbing her collar and yanking her from the ground hard enough that her head jerked back.

"Were you the one who did this to Dark Lord?" he asked angrily. Syl said nothing, just let her head fall back and stare into the sky with a lifeless look in her eyes; the look of someone who had lost the will to live.

"Aran, let her be. She won't be a threat any longer." Jin wheezed, flinching every now and again as his flesh was closed up.

"But Jin! She nearly…"

"I said let her be." The light in Dark Lord's eyes was serious as he spoke, clashing with the anger in Aran's eyes. Reluctantly Aran loosened his grip and let her fall to the ground where she slowly righted herself on her knees again.

"This wound isn't healing fast enough. I need to go back and retrieve my potions, so I will be gone for a moment. Athena, make sure that he doesn't move and re-injure what I have already healed." Grendal instructed. Athena Nodded as Grendal left, teleporting as fast as he could back to Herb Town, returning with his potions a short while later and pouring small drops of Red and Orange potions on the wound as he went to speed up the healing.

"Alright, I've healed him enough that we can move him back to the village. Aran, we need to use your halberd and a stretcher. Athena, grab a couple branches and transmute them into a rope." Aran set the heavy halberd down where they set Dark Lord's head and shoulders on the blades, and then loosely tied his legs to the handle.

"What about her?" Athena asked, looking back to Syl who sat still as a stone on her knees.

"Leave her. Whatever she wants to do is up to her." Aran growled, picking up one end of the improvised stretcher and walking with Athena carrying the other end back to Herb Town.

"_What do I do now father?_" Syl thought as her empty eyes looked up into the grey sky as tears flowed from her eyes and over her temples.

* * *

"Are you sure leaving her behind was alright? She still seemed pretty down." Antonia asked over the wind blowing in her ears, standing at the bow of the Ludibrum locomotive ship.

"In her state of mind, she would just get in the way." Olsen commented harshly as Antonia jumped down from the deck and reaching out to smack him across the face, stopped in mid swing by Olsen.

"That was heartless Olsen. And what about those two; Jack and Matthew. What about them? Aren't they in the same state of mind?" Antonia hissed. Olsen released his grip on her wrist and leaned against the railing.

"Perhaps, but they didn't throw their weapons down and lock themselves in the ship's sleeping quarters." He shot back. Yes he was angry at Jenny for just giving up like she had, but like it or not they were at war, even though it may only seem like nothing but recon. Antonia reached for her bow, but before she could pull it from over her shoulder was met with the tip of Olsen's dagger to her throat.

"You will go through the same thing she is some day. So I will ask you now: are you going to curl up into a ball and hide from the world when that time comes?" Antonia slowly put her arm down and relaxed. He was right: what would she do once she had killed her first person? Olsen re-sheathed his dagger and walked over to Jack who was leaning against the rail on the opposite side with Helen softly talking to him through what he had done.

"Hey, how you doing?" Olsen asked, slapping him on the back. Jack sighed as he looked back to him.

"I don't know. When I first started out on this, I thought I was prepared to do whatever it took to stop the Black Mage. Now I'm not so sure: I killed a person I was supposed to save."

"Will you be able to go on?" Olsen asked flatly. Jack could only shrug.

"Right now, I'm probably going to be a bit hesitant but I should be able to get over it in time. How's Matt?" Olsen shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. He's been stone walling me. I tried talking to Lillianne, but I only get the same reaction. Neither one is talking." Jack nodded at his response, stretching as the Kerning City airport came into view.

"Well, I guess we'd better get things together. From here we're gonna be on our own." Jack said though his stretch. Helen nodded as she jumped from the railing and teleported to Mir's back where she informed Evan what was going to take place, then teleported back.

"Careful, you get too close and he might actually kiss you." Jack grunted and he pulled on his Psychotic Edges, checked the clip in his gun and his reloads then walked off to where Matthew and Lillianne stood, ready to lift the plank from the deck to the ground. Once they had landed, human form Mir and Evan followed them down into the subway platform where they expected a train to be, but the station was empty.

"Well now what? The last time we went to Masteria, we had to take this huge stream train thing to get there. Not only that but it was underwater." Olsen said loudly. Screeching metal wheels echoed down the tunnel followed by something that sounded like a giant heartbeat as a steam engine that looked similar to the one from before rumbled to a stop at the station.

"Please board the train. This unit apologizes for the delay." A voice said. Jack raised his eyebrow seeming to recognize the voice.

"Dig Bite? Is that you?" he asked. A release valve opened letting a plume of steam escape.

"Question: Dig Bite? Is that you? Answer: No, I am another transport unit. I will send my regards to Dig Bite upon this unit's return to Masteria."

"So, we're not going to Masteria?" Evan asked, confused.

"Question: Not going to Masteria? Answer: no. This unit has been instructed to deliver you to the Pendergeist Mansion." Jack, Olsen Helen and Matthew looked back and forth to each other: in the game they had always known that the Crimsonwood Forest, the Phantom Forest and the Pendergeist Mansion were all part of the continent of Masteria. The coach coupled to the tender hissed and plumed as steam pistons opened a door to it.

"So that means we're going under water then?" Lillianne asked as she boarded the coach. A small screen jutted out from the side as they all boarded, snowing for a moment and then brining up the image of a well dressed, middle aged man.

"Guardians, it is good to see you again, as well as Mir and Evan, the Dragon Magus. And who is this new face with you?"

"This is Antonia. Um… sorry for sounding rude but who are you?" asked Olsen suspicious of the man saying that it was good to see them 'again'.

"Greetings to you, Lady Antonia. Apologies Master Olsen, this is my digital form; it is I, the Machinist. Since you all seem rather confused, I will explain. Your parents have informed me of the situation that you are familiar with a version of Ossyria from a game. However, the Specter Wood, or what you would know as the Phantom Forest, the Crimson Forest and the Red Keep, or what you know as the Crimsonwood Keep are all somewhere else."

"Somewhere else? If they aren't in Masteria, where are they then?" Jack exclaimed as the doors hissed shut and the train lurched into motion once they were all seated. Mir held onto Evan's arm as though she were afraid or panicked, trembling so much that her jaw shuttered as well.

"No one knows. The only thing that we can be sure of is that it seems to exist in an inverted dimension of Ossyria, as if it is being hidden by Ossyria itself."

"Wait: if it exists in another dimension, then how is the Black Mage siphoning Mana from the ground at the Pendergeist mansion?" asked Helen.

"After many calculations and years of research I have found that the Mansion exists in an inverted dimension, as I said before. Imagine what you know right now as one side of a piece of paper, but Pendergeist Mansion, and the Specter Wood exists on the other side of that paper thus being attached to the same ground, but not in our world."

"So, how are we going to get there if it isn't even in the same dimension?" Antonia asked, starting to become a little skeptical of her decision to stick with the Guardians.

"I sent some of my Wolf Spiders to retrieve one of the dimensional gate ways residing the in the Sleeping Wood and have successfully dialed the dimension where the Mansion exists. For now, I have sent a portable generator and a few of the wolf spiders to an 'underground' mechanic in Edelstein. " The Machinist answered.

"What I want to know is how that big house got there in the first place." Olsen demanded walking over to the screen and pushing his face into the small camera hole.

"That is something that has yet to be even hypothesized. In the data banks of Olde Sapp, there was record of that entire region just, disappeared over 10,000 years ago. No other accounts about the events leading up to its disappearance or records of who was living in the area at the time have ever been found." The group nodded until Helen caught sight of Mir hanging onto Evan's arm as though she were terrified, curled up into a fetal position with her wings drawn around her and her tail curled around her feet.

"What is wrong with Mir?" she asked, moving to the edge of her seat. Evan looked down at Mir and brushed a stand of hair away from her forehead, tucking it behind her ear then put his arm around her as she buried her face into his red coat.

"She's a bit closterphobic. It's the one thing that she can't stand and why most of the time we're outside. The only place that she isn't afraid of is the small hut where we live, just outside of Henesys." Helen felt sorry for her, the poor dragon, mighty companion of Evan was reduced to shivering like leaf in this small space.

"If you knew that it was going to be in this small space, then why did you make her come?" Helen asked.

"He didn't force me to; I wanted to. As long as Master Evan is here with me, I can endure it." She said, looking up at Helen for a few moments and seeming happy, despite her shaking hands and white knuckles before she buried her face again in his red coat. Two hours passed as they made their way to the western edge of Victoria where they stopped allowing Jack to stretch as he got out of his seat and looked down at Evan and Mir, both of them sound asleep and leaning on each other. Matthew got out of his seat and walked up to the screen that the machinist used to speak to them and tapping on it and speaking in a low voice.

"Hey, Machinist. Why did we stop?" the screen whistled and fuzzed for a few moments until the machinist appeared and responded.

"Since I haven't found a way to make myself mobile yet, I've replicated a small portion of my A.I. into the engine. Right now the A.I. is synchronizing with a Submerged Rail to Edelstein that I created not long after Minerva began reshaping this world."

"Why go to Edelstien? I thought we would be going to Masteria for this?" Matthew questioned, putting his fists on his his.

"Edelstein was the only place where we could get enough Mithril Crystal and use it to help create the power conduits for the gate way and not have the activity noticed." Jack huffed to himself and shook his head, stretching his arm over his chest.

"Well, there's no doubt that the Black Mage knows about it now."

"This train has been equipped with a magic jamming insulation called IgroSIeign created in Magatia. So he shouldn't be able to see or hear what we say as long as you stay in the train. Traveling by ground also allows the IgroSleign to react stronger due to the ground's magnetic pulse."

"Ok, that's good an all, but I really need to use the bathroom!" Olsen said standing and squirming as he stood.

"I made sure to incorporate that should such facilities be needed. It's the compartment at the back of the coach." Olsen turned, and once he saw the compartment made a mad dash for it. There was a splashing rumble ahead making them run to the windows to see hundreds of ship hulls appear from below the water's surface and connect hundreds of sections of rails together, spilling wter over the edges draped in agley and seaweed .

"Please be sure and keep all extremities inside the car at all times as we will be moving at an extremely high speed." Said the voice of the drive unit as the train lurched into motion again, the engine quickly huffing and thrumming out its heartbeat steadily becoming faster until it sounded purely like a rush of steam. Olsen came out of the bathroom, just buckling the last of his belts when he quickly became dizzy from the sun glinting off the waves.

"It will be another, number, two hours before we reach, town, Edelstein at this pace. Please make yourselves comfortable." The voice came again, and a short time later, they were all asleep, listening to the steady sound of the wheels clicking over the joints in the rails and letting the comforting sway of the coach rock them into deeper slumber.

* * *

The Black Mage dimmed his crystal and walked out into the hallway of his grand castle, slightly annoyed that he couldn't see or hear what it was those damned neonates had planned leaving him without an idea of how to plan. Patience was what was required now; all he would need to do was wait for them to appear again. Besides, he knew that they were at least headed to Edelstein because of the bridge that appeared from nowhere in the western sea. What was it that they were planning?

"Is something troubling you milord?" Eleanor asked as she walked up behind him and put her arms around his chest. A long torrid whisper escaped The Mage's lips as he held his hand to the crystal ball once again showing nothing more than a rail line.

"I'm sure it is nothing to be worried about." Eleanor replied with an alluring tone. The Mage turned his head slightly to look at her over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes as low whispers hung in the air around them while the image in the ball changed to that of the central square of Edelstien. Eleanor squinted her eyes as she thought up possible reasons for them coming to the town of Edelstein; the citizens as of late had been becoming a bit restless towards the officers in the main part of the town. Eleanor reached for the amulet on her cloak, and pushed a small amount of power into it making it glow a strange black color.

"Bavan, report." Her amulet dimmed for a moment and then glowed a blue color; the voice that came through was slightly distorted, more so from the fact that his mouth was full of sweets and not from the magical communicator.

"Yes Lady Eleanor, what service can I offer you this fine day? Oooh, chocolate." The voice said in a pleased tone while the sound of chewing came through.

"Have any of the citizens down in the city been acting strange?" Eleanor tone in a strong tone.

"Not that I could see. However there has been some chatter in the mines: something having to do with spare parts." The Mage reached for his own amulet, producing growls and whispers making Bavan suddenly sound nervous and surprised.

"Black Mage! What an honor to have you…" Bavan was cut off as The Mage made a loud ethereal growl deep in his throat, a jagged opening glowing where The Mage's mouth would be.

"My apologies master; the parts mentioned were a drill, power cores and command wires." The Mage let his amulet go hissing in his throat while the amulets went dark.

"It sounds to me that they are doing nothing more than acquiring parts for the mining equipment." Eleanor stated, pulling her cloak around her as the Mage looked harshly at the crystal ball in his table: what was it they were planning?

* * *

After what felt like hours, The Guardians were suddenly awakened by The Machinist calling out to them as they began slowing to stop in the Edelstein station. Just after Jack and gently awakened Mir, she caught sight of the door and was more than eager to get out of the cramped train car, nearly pushing her way through the small group transforming and flying into the skies calling in a bird-like voice.

"I bet she's happy to out of there." Evan nodded as he watched her, rubbing his eye and coughing slightly when Mir had used his stomach to push off. A chubby boy came running up to them holding a sucker, then grabbed Lillianne's hand and began dragging her with him. Matthew ran after her and was about to pull her back when something drifted into his mind, sounding like a young woman's voice.

"_Trust him Child. You must hurry."_ Matthew looked around a bit, but decided to take the voice's advice and called for the rest to follow the boy who drug Lillianne with him, leading them through back alleys and drains until they arrived at a place where generators hummed and wires buzzed with power leading to a platform under stone ring sat. Steam and vapors rose from the platform while people ran from here to there, making final checks and adjustments. Mir finally retransformed and stood by Evan once again, not feeling the effects of the cramped train ride from before any longer. The boy then let go of Lillianne's hand and ran to a man who looked to be wearing a bear suit who checked over a mass of glowing circuits and another who held a steam punk inspired staff with flaming red, spiky hair held down by a pair of odd goggles and fierce yellow eyes. The man in the bear suit patted the boy who ran off in a random direction and the two men walked over to them.

"So, you are the ones that the Machinist told us about." Asked the red haired man, looking over them and raising his eyebrows in apprehension.

"I was told to expect nine of you, I only see eight, and it's the Archer that's missing."

"She's… having some difficulties of her own right now." Olsen replied. The man shrugged and offered his hand to them, Antonia unknowingly gravitating towards Olsen which made her feel a bit more at ease.

"Name's Deren. And that's chuck, but around here we just call him Checky."

"It's nice to meet you." Checky said muffled from under his bear mask.

"We were just running through the final check of the systems. Everything should be ready to go."

"Then let us be going. We have to stop whatever is there." Helen pushed. Checky nodded and tipped back his hat so that his mouth was exposed.

"Alright ladies! Let's get this show on the road! Set the dial sequence for the mansion!"

"Sequence calculated and plotted sir!" called a man at what appeared to be a control consol.

"Spell one, Lock on." The ring first glowed and spun to the right until a symbol stopped at the top where a secondary stone appeared from nowhere and clamped down around the symbol, sounding as if a metal door were slammed shut.

"Spell one, Locked sir."

"Spell Two, Lock on!" the same process repeated, clanking loudly once it had locked in place.

"Spell two, Locked."

"Spell three, Lock on!" the process repeated until all 12 symbols on the ring had been clamped and lit. Suddenly the symbols lifted from the ring in the order they had been dialed in a grayish light before hanging above the ring in a straight line. The ring suddenly began spinning faster and faster until something began to appear in the center of the ring, expanding to the walls of the ring, revealing a dark and twisted forest where the gates to a mansion stood.

"We only have enough power here to keep the portal open for three hours; be back before then or you'll be stuck there for months while we get enough power to get it open again." Deren shouted over the roar of the plasma generators. Quickly The Guardians passed through the portal as though it were nothing more than a window, but once they had they saw a giant wispy black castle looming over the mansion.

"Well, we've only got three hours and we're a friend down. Jack, you go with Evan and Mir, check out any and every room of the mansion that might look promising to reveal _who_ is this 'anchor'. Helen, you go with Olsen and see if you can find a way into that castle to find that actual anchor. Maybe there's something like the one we found Elde's mom in. Lilli, Antonia, with me; we're going to see if we can find out why this place came here at all and then see if we can get it back if we can." Matthew called out; the group quickly spit up to their duties, each of them nervous and tense about what they might find.

* * *

Jin finally stirred when the heavy drugs wore off enough to awaken, but still dull the pain that had been surging through his arm and shoulder. Most of the flesh had been healed over by Grendal and the potions, but there were still some tender spots. He tried to sit up when Athena came over to him and placed a hand on his chest keeping him from sitting all the way up, but then reached her hand behind his head and picked it up to give him a drink of a bitter herb potion that Tae Sang had made to help stay some of the pain.

"Thank you Athena." Jin whispered after he had swallowed, re-situating himself on the bed so that his arm wouldn't hurt so much.

"Why did you do it?" Athena asked gently, pulling her hand from behind his head, letting her hand rest on his jaw for a moment. Jin smirked as he shrugged with his good shoulder, wincing slightly when the action made his other one sting a bit.

"There wasn't enough time to get there _and_ activate the dummy. I just decided against you getting hurt and took the blow." Athena curled her lips inward, nodding her understanding and taking a seat beside him.

"How does it feel now?" Athena asked with a slight hint of concern in her voice.

"It feels better now. There is still has a good stab every now and again when I move, but I should be fine." Athena nodded and picked up the bowl with the herbal potion in it.

"Ok, well I'll be back later to check on you." she smiled, stopping just before she left the hut and looking back at Jin for a moment, then leaving quickly. As she was washing out the mixing bowl Tae Sang had used, Lilin came walking up and began washing out a canteen.

"You sure like watching over him don't you?" Lilin asked knowingly. Athena looked back at her with a start as her cheeks flared pale red.

"Well, you might think something deeper is there, but I can tell you right now you are looking to deeply." she shot back, slowly returning to washing out the bowl.

"I see. That's just like you Athena." Lilin laughed, filling her canteen from the well that stood next to them. Athena sighed as she rinsed the bowl one more time.

"What do you mean by that?" Athena asked, resituating her bow.

"I mean that you're letting your independence get in the way. At this rate you'll just end up alone for the rest of your life. Not only that but you don't really seem like the type of woman that would respond to a romantic approach."

"Oh? I'm not? Then what type of woman am I?"

"If I didn't know you better Tina, I would think that you were the good friend that he could come to." Athena's eyes fell to the ground as Lilin took a drink.

"You might want to try and let someone in, you never know: it could be a good experience for you." Lilin said as she put the cap and walked back to the village leaving Athena alone with her thoughts. She was not responsive to a romantic approach? Ha, what did Lilin know about her? But all the same, Athena wanted Jin to be attracted to her. After all these years a comrade, was there any optimism for a romantic relationship between the two of them?

* * *

Jack, Evan and Mir

Just as they were about to knock on the door, someone from inside pulled the large oak door open, revealing a well dressed teenager and older gentleman as butlers who bowed to them as they opened the door.

"Welcome to the Pendergeist Mansion. My name is Edmunds and this is my nephew, Nathan. Is there anything that we can assist you with today?" Edmunds asked, extending his hand to Jack and then nodded to Nathan. He had well kept jet black hair with hints of blood red streaks here and there which draped over one of his stunning Sapphire blue eyes that held a sad yet driven light. He wasn't as large of a build as Jack, but Jack could tell that he could hold his own. For a moment Nathan let his gaze linger on Mir, and then continued on his way whatever his task was at the moment.

"Actually, yes. Has there been any strange activity around here lately?" Evan inquired. Edmunds thought for a moment, rubbing his chin with one hand and supporting his elbow with the other.

"As of late there hasn't been anything extraordinarily strange. But then again, the things that live in this house can't really be seen as normal either. The only thing that is worth noting is the fact that the Master's toy factory has begun once again, which is fantastic. All sorts of new toys are streaming from its belts for the children of Olde Sapp." Jack and Evan nodded skeptically as they tried to make sense of it: the Pendergeist Mansion had disappeared ten thousand years before, and Olde Sapp was destroyed so why was this man saying that it was for Olde Sapp children? Slowly the three of them walked up the stairs and began looking in all the rooms for what would hint as to the 'Anchor'. In the kitchen, Nathan tended to his stored weapon and armor, covering the metal in storage oil so that it would not rust when his eyes became blank and his head was yanked back.

"_Yes?"_

_"I want you to follow those who have come to this place. If they do anything to harm the castle, destroy them."_

_"Yes master."_ When the voice coming to him stopped, Nathan returned to normal, wiping away the oil, pulling off his suit and donning his armor: a Black Templar chainmail draped over him with a heavy black steel fabric draping over the chainmail. Light gloves covered his hands while heavy black steel war boots donned his feet. Over his head he lowered a bronze helmet, decorated with steel horns and then swung a dark, ragged edged cape over his shoulders. Tentatively he pulled a small sword pendant from under the chainmail and stared at it as he held it.

"_You'd be proud of me, Aeris._" He thought to himself as he tucked the pendant back into his shirt and picked up his trusted spear, the Reverse Alchupiz, then closed the closet that held his armor and walked to the front door.

"Uncle Ed, I'm going to be out for a while, watch the house while I'm gone." Edmonds didn't respond to him, only stood near the door with his hands crossed in front of him staring straight ahead. Just as Nathan neared the door, Edmunds reached out and pulled open the door.

"Welcome to the Pendergeist Mansion. My name is Edmunds, and this is my nephew, Nathan. Is there anything that we can assist you with today?" Nathan shook his head. He knew that was going to happen, but it was better than being all alone. Well, maybe he was, he just didn't want to accept it. Pulling the door closed behind him, he then jumped from crag to crag onto the roof, where he could go anywhere around the mansion in a minute, even guard the Giant Castle that had enveloped part of the house in its dark reach.

Helen and Olsen

It wasn't long until the two of them managed to find what appeared to be a window, despite having to avoid the hundreds of dead soldiers patrolling the outside of the castle. Their problems however didn't stop there as they had to quietly pass the guards that stood watch inside the castle while searching the rooms inside, trying to find a way down to the dungeon. But the further they went, the more confusing the castle became; none of the hallways seeming to lead downwards, however there were plenty of them leading further up in the castle. Olsen scouted ahead in the halls, while Helen kept her most powerful sacred arrow ready to draw just in case they were unexpectedly surrounded. After an hour, of searching they hadn't even found a single clue as to who this anchor was. And since the castle didn't seem to have a dungeon they began to assume that maybe this particular castle was based on the other principal of having a Mana center rather than using a person as an anchor. Quietly Nathan slipped through the halls after them, being sure not to give off any indication that he was there. Only a couple times did he see them get near what he liked to refer to as the "Red Zone", but neither one of them had spotted or detected it. When he had been sent here he was told only that no one besides the one who sent him would be allowed to go in the door. He didn't need any other explanation, nor did he want it: he just knew that what he was doing was important, and that he would be written about when his task was done. Quietly he reached into his shirt and pulled out the small sword pendant while his eyes became sad for a moment, replaying in his head the events of the past.

"_Here, I got this for you." The girl handed him a pure silver chain with a small silver and gold sword which had an emerald chip in the center of the guard._

_"Aeris, you didn't need to do that! This must have cost at least a page, maybe two!"_

_"Well it is your 16th birthday and you deserve something special in your life for once." Nathan smiled as he put his hand around her waist and pulled her close, planting a gentle kiss on her lips. The next thing he knew everyone was screaming and running away from something. Taking Aeris by the hand he half drug her with him as he ran for cover when part of the mountain where his village was gave way. Areis pushed him away from the falling rocks, but she herself was buried under the mountain of boulders that had fallen. Nathan tried to dig her out, but another villager grabbed his arm, pulling him along as they ran just as more of the mountain gave way._ Nathan gently kissed the sword and tucked it back into his shirt before grabbing his spear and following after them again.

Matthew, Lillianne and Antonia

Matthew had split off from Lillianne and Antonia, searching around the edge of the land mass the mansion stood on seeing if maybe some clue about why it came to this empty dimension in the first place. Lillianne and Antonia searched around the mansion itself, when they came upon something that looked to be a secret door into what appeared to be the chimney.

"Antonia, go get Matt." Lillianne commanded, looking all over the easily missed joint of a doorway until Antonia returned with Matthew in tow to the spot they had found.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Lillianne shrugged, forcing her halberd in between the rocks as Matthew jammed his Tiger's Fang into the same joint to try and open it. As they struggled with the door, Antonia saw something hanging in the twisted branches of a tree. She shot the branch it was hanging on and found that it was a raged looking doll of a girl with curly red yarn hair in a white apron, blue dress. With a grunt and a heave the section of doorway fell to the ground, spreading dust and leaves everywhere to reveal a passage of stairs leading upwards into the dark.

"Well that's not suspicious in anyway." Matthew joked, walking into the dark with Antonia and Lillianne close behind him. From further in the passage a steady thrum of machinery as well as some sort of periodic hysterical laughter could be heard. As they ascended, they came to what appeared to be some sort of factory similar to the ones in Ludibrum but was much cruder as well as much larger. Black aura surrounded the gears and connecting rods while someone stood over a myriad of levers, buttons and valves which controlled the machine, assembling and then setting free toys of a monstrous nature. Antonia reached for her bow and loaded an arrow, waiting for whatever might suddenly come at them as she cautiously stepped towards the man at the controls.

"You shouldn't be here." A small voice said. The three of them whirled around while both Lillianne and Matthew reached for their alien weapons making them flare to life and Antonia drawing the sinews tight. Before them was a little girl with red curly hair, porcelain skin and deep blue eyes clad in a blue dress with a white apron. Antonia jerked her head to the side, relaxing her bow and the reached for the small doll that she had found on the ground outside tucked in her belt.

"Is this yours?" She asked, holding the doll out. The Little girl's eyes lit up with happiness, reaching for the doll and then hugging it close.

"You found Annabelia!" she said happily, swinging back and forth as she held the doll close. Matthew cut the mana flow to his weapon and walked over to her, kneeling down on a knee bringing his face level to her's.

"You said that we shouldn't be here. Why is that?" the little girl relaxed her grip on the doll and looked down to the floor as though ashamed.

"Because of what this place does; you must hurry and leave before you too are unable to leave!" She mumbled, desperately grabbing Matthew by the hand then pulling him and the girls out of a revolving door and into what looked to be a library, closing the door behind them. Inside the library, Jack, Mir and Evan stood with surprise on their face.

"Hey, what are you guys doing in here?" Evan asked.

"We were drug in here by her." Lillianne replied, pointing back to the little girl who seemed to be looking around franticly as if something back was about to happen.

"You need to leave! Or else _he _will come!" she said, grabbing Matthew's hand again and trying to pull him from the room when Matthew picked her up and then set her down, grabbing her shoulders.

"Before who will come?" before she had a chance to answer, a sickening laugh rolled through the halls accompanied by the chiming of small bells that were badly out of tune.

"It's too late now." The girl whimpered in fear, pressing her eyes shut and beginning to shake as the laughing and bells became louder.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Looks like we have some fresh new people to keep this mansion alive!" a high pitched voice said from somewhere in the darkness near the ceiling.

"You won't be taking ANY lives!" Evan yelled as Mir transformed into a dragon.

"Oh I'm not here to end a life, I'm here to preserve it, by adding it to my collection!" the voice replied as it laughed hysterically again and suddenly appearing as it dropped down from the ceiling. Matthew grabbed the girl, Lillianne grabbed Antonia and leapt out of the way as Jack swung straight up to connect with the face of the thing that had come down, making him sink into a crater from the impact. Matthew set the girl down and drew his Neocora while transforming is cloak into the shield form and with one hard swing he cut through the thing's sleeve just as it shifted its weight to the side to avoid being hit. When it stopped, Mir reared back on her haunches and drew a large breath as Evan cast a huge fire spell, exploding forward and disintegrating everything in its path but missing the creature as it dove out of the way. The thing slowly looked up and then stepped into the dull light, holding up its floppy purple striped sleeve which was smoldering at the edges, revealing its long ad yellow fingernails. Its body was pudgy and round, standing nearly seven feet tall dressed in striped one piece pajama suit. Over its head and eyes was a red and yellow jester's hat with a giant blue star over where one eye would be, tipped with rusted bells allowing its mouth to protrude from the hat which revealed crooked and yellowing teeth as it smiled.

"My my, aren't we hot headed?" the thing asked, snorting and then bursting into laughter again as it charged for them. Matthew quickly drew his Tiger's Fang just as the thing was about to hit, holding him back with bright blue sparks flying everywhere. Jack came running up on the side, drew back his fist and hit the thing square in the head, Lillianne was waiting as she spun around and hit the thing again into the air, where it was met with a combined attack from Mir and Evan who concentrated their mana on one point erupting into a beam, striking the creature and sending him into the wall. Jack ran at Matthew who laced his fingers together and then launched Jack high into the air. At first Jack just hung in the air for a moment with his arms and fists glowing red, then launched into a corkscrew and hit the thing hard in the gut, then hit it across the face hard enough that each punch sounded like a peel of thunder. Finally he somersaulted back, kicking the thing off of the wall into the air and then slammed his fists into the thing's head, making it scream hard into the ground.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Jack called, as he lobbed a grenade at the thing when it bounced off the ground.

"GET BEHIND ME!" Matthew shouted. Just as Antonia managed to get herself behind Matthew the grenade detonated, making the shield form of his cloak ring into existence. The thing lay in a smoldering heap on the ground, smoke and dust billowing into the air around it.

"We need to find Olsen and Helen; we're running out of time. We only have an hour before we're stuck here for a while." The group agreed and left, taking the girl with them as they ran until they found some sort of hiding shelter under an old twisted tree.

"It's no use running; it only made him angry." The girl said sadly.

"We haven't used the full extent of our power yet." Jack said, looking around and making sure that they hadn't been followed.

"What was that thing anyway?" Lillianne asked.

"Wait, Matt. Didn't you get a look at that creature's clothes?" Helen asked. For a moment Matthew's eyes darted back and forth as he thought through his adventures in the game.

"Yeah, it looked like…"

"A Twisted Jester, from Prendergast mansion. Now I know why it didn't add up at first; this place is called Pender_geist _mansion." The little girl shook her head, not understanding what they were talking about.

"That thing is what I call Nester." Antonia raised her eyebrow, snorting while trying to stifle a giggle.

"Nester?" the little girl nodded, when Olsen suddenly made a connection.

"Wait! You're Sophilia aren't you? Your father, Jonas, used to be a toy maker, but when your mother Annabelia died, your father locked himself in his workshop to try and make better toys!" Everyone looked to the little girl who nodded.

"You are right. My name is Sophilia, and as you said my Father's name is Jonas and my Mother was Annabelia, which is why I named this doll after her." Sophilia said in a mournful tone, brushing the hair of the doll out of its face.

"But how did your house get stuck in this dimension?" Matthew asked. Sophilia sighed as she began.

"You must understand what it was that happened before. Yes, as you said knight, my father was a simple toy maker back when Olde Sapp still existed. Yes I know that it doesn't exist anymore, but that is beside the point. My family used to be nothing more than simple carpenters; we were poor but we led happy lives, and since my father couldn't make enough money to buy toys he made them. For quite a few years we lived in that happy state. But it didn't last long since my mother became ill with a sickness that you of the future would come to know as the flu. But it was serious and it took my mother from us. From then on my father threw himself at his work, spending sometimes days on end creating a single new toy for me since he hated to see me always so sad. However this soon led to his toys being discovered when the banker came to issue an eviction notice where he was asked to make a set of toys for his children. It was that one act that sparked his new business of toy making for Masteria making him the richest most famous man in all of Olde Sapp. Because of his fame, many of the wealthier family's daughters sought him out to marry him; but because of his work and me they ended up leaving us. Yet my father still continued to work on his toys for me. I always kept this toy closest to me, since it was the first toy that he had ever made for me. With each marriage and divorce that he went through, he was made even more famous. Then there came a time when he and his machines could no longer keep up with the demand for his toys. So he turned to other methods, including some ancient magic which sped up his production by leaps and bounds. But because of his depressed state of mind, the magic began affecting the toys being made. When complaints about the toys suddenly becoming violent against the children when they played with them, my father tried to correct this by undoing the spells and then reapplying them, only this time his metal state warped the magic even further and began to warp him to the point that he could no longer see that his toys were becoming monsters. Before long I had locked myself in my room just to keep safe from them. By this point my father had become so demented in his ideas, that he began experimenting with dark alchemy so that he could bring my mother back to show her what he had accomplished, and found that he needed to come here to this dimension for his reaction to work properly. However, in bringing the mansion here it took the life of everyone still within. It didn't seem like long, but them _he _came here and did something that bound all of our souls to this house. It was around then that the castle appeared behind the house. That was also when Nathan appeared."

"Nathan?" asked Matthew, as Lillanne and Antonia looked just as confused.

"He said he was Edmonds's nephew, but I doubt that's true." Sophilia explained. Matthew and the girls still seemed confused as Olsen explained what she was talking about.

"I'll bet that he's the Soul Anchor for the Mana Drill. We have to find Olsen and Helen and then try to find this, Nathan." Without much hesitation, the group left their hiding spot and ran for the castle, then as quietly as they could snuck inside and began searching for their comrades.

Olsen and Helen

"We should really get going. We only have 45 minutes left until the gate closes." Helen repeated as they were walking back down a hallway they had just searched.

"I know don't remind me." Olsen replied sharply.

"Then why are we coming down this same hallway again?"

"It's just a feeling. There's something down this way that I really can't explain and I can't pin po… hush." Pushing Helen back around a corner he listened to the voices that were coming from the direction they had just been traveling. Olsen waited for just the right moment then jumped out from behind the corner poised to hurl stars down the hall when he was met then the end of Jack's Hades pistol and Matthew reaching back to take off his head should it be an enemy.

"Oh it's you guys. I thought it was a skeleton patrol." Olsen sighed, pushing the stars back into his claw.

"Ah I see. We think we've found out who the anchor is." Matthew said.

"Is that so? whom?" Helen asked, walking into the hallway and suddenly feeling what Olsen had been feeling all those times they had walked down it before.

"It's a kid by the name of Nathan. Apparently, he in the house somewhere."

"Actually I'm right here." called a voice. All of them turned to see a boy, about his mid teens standing between them and their exit.

"You all know too much, and I cannot allow you to leave!" the boy said, lowering his stance and holding his spear back ready to strike. Olsen was about to step forwards when Matthew stopped him.

"What is your name?" Matthew asked, suddenly seeming different than before, almost as if he were another person altogether.

"Nathan, son of Jonathan, wielder of the Spear." He replied. Matthew nodded, drawing his Tiger's Fang and taking a step forwards.

"Matthew Drake, son of John Drake. Weilder of the Blade." The both of them stood still for a moment, neither making so much as a twitch until Nathan charged forward with a stab of his spear. Matthew parried, and then lifted his sword up as violet light gathered around the guard making the sword whistle as it cut through the air, barely missing the boy's shoulder as he ducked. Nathan spun around and was about to hit Matthew broadside when he was instead met with a wall of iron that shot up from the ground, dissipating into a cloud of mana vapors. Matthew caught him off guard as he first thrust forwards as Nathant flipped back, then turned and swung over his head making the blade of his tiger's fang spark as it hit the ground. Nathan caught himself and spun his spear around as if it were a bow staff, then thrust forwards again. Matthew crossed his arms as the metal case of his Warrior's Guard appeared, encasing him in metal which as first absorbed the attack and then spat the end of the spear back out. Nathan dove to the right to try and void being hit by his own spear but in the same instant had the spear yanked from his hands and met with the tip of the Tiger's Fang. For a moment neither of them did anything until Matthew spun the spear around and handed it back to him.

"You're good, but you need to learn from a master." Matthew explained in a rather flat but unaggressive tone.

"Guys! Over here!" Antonia called looking at a portrait on the wall of a stout man who pointed straight down to an inconsistency in the wall. Helen walked over to it and ran her hand along the wall following the feeling as it became stronger.

"I don't think that he is the anchor Matthew. I believe that there is another who is the anchor." Helen called, feeling along the wall until she felt a smooth stone in the wall. With a gentle push the stone sank in and opened a door that revealed a passage leading to what looked to be a dungeon. Slowly they all walked down the passage and looked into each of the cells where skeletons or empty chains sat. Out of curiosity, Nathan followed them in since he was never allowed into this area before: there seemed to be hundreds of cells, each of them were empty, save for the ones with bones in them. And then there was one cell that stood out from the rest: a cell that had some sort of charm above the door.

"Over here." Mir called, peering into the door and seeing a lone figure held up by some invisible force. Nathan was drawn over to the cell and for a moment, she looked familiar; that long golden brown hair that nearly touched the ground, the black silver hemmed corset and miniskirt with a small silver chain hanging where the belt would be, knee-high platform boots, a long black sleeveless trench coat, and a leather bracelet with a small silver chain hanging from it.

"No, it can't be… she's…" Knowing what needed to be done, Helen quickly teleported inside the cell, broke the chains that held her up and then teleported her back outside the cell, feeling somewhat woozy from the effect of the cell. Jack reached out and steadied her as Nathan ran to the girl that Helen had brought out and hugged her close.

"Is this, someone you know?" Matthew asked.

"Yes; I thought she had died 3 months ago." Nathan said as his voice began to choke. The girl stirred, opening her topaz eyes slowly to the sight of Nathan staring back at her. Quickly, Matthew reached for his water skin and gently tipped it up as she slowly drank, the color slowly starting to come back into her cheeks.

"What was Aeris doing in a place like this? And what was she doing in that cell?" Nathan asked rhetorically. Helen healed the small wounds all over her body as she explained what she had been to the castle as its anchor.

"The Black Mage was the one who did this?" Nathan asked between grit teeth, brushing aside the locks of her brown hair from her face when the air within the room felt as if it were trembling as whispers weaved their tendrils around them. Nathan's spear unexpectedly shot away from him and into the hand of the Black Mage who looked over it disappointedly as he then held his hand over the shaft and began drawing a bright misty substance from it while the metal of the spear quickly began to rust and corrode, stabbing the head into the ground when he was finished. Lillianne stepped between him and the two on the ground, holding her halberd at the ready and taking a wide, aggressive stance.

"You are nothing more than a disgusting…" Lillianne's rage was cut short when The Mage snapped his overpowering gaze to her and thrust out his hand making her claw at her throat as though something here wrapped around it. Just before her vision became black, The Mage released his magical grip on her and let her drop to the ground, tense hissing whispers hanging in the air around them while The Mage pointed a boney finger to Matthew and narrowed his eyes. Matthew lowered his gaze as his entire body began to shake in rage, crimson vapors beginning to defuse into the air around him

"You're wrong! People are not merely tools, they are much more than that! This is something that you could never understand!" The Mage casually looked back to Lillianne, narrowing his eyes to her with whispers hanging in the air around her making her fair skin become pale. Matthew looked to Lillianne for a moment and then set his hand on the alien sword, then knelt next to Lillianne and whispering something into her ear. Without warning Matthew lunged for The Mage and activated the weapon with ruby power, making the blade buzz with each wind waking swing, distracting The Mage enough to allow Lillianne to lead the others out of the room and out of the castle.

When the others were gone, a peel of red lightning struck at Matthew's feet, making his attacks become even heavier and more deadly than they were before. The Mage swung his hands to block each incoming swing with a burst of his black power, each time having showers of sparks fly into the air. Matthew swung wide, leaving him vulnerable to the Mage who hurled his palm forwards to his gut but instead was met with Matthew's elbow in his back, plunging to the ground. Raising his sword, Matthew was about to drive it through his back when The Mage teleported to a standing position and struck Matthew sending him streaking into the wall. Matthew growled as he pulled himself from the rubble, spit out a glob of blood and charged in again.

Outside, the group ran for the portal where they could see the men in Edelstein waiting just on the other side, but Just as they were getting near an army of skeletons marched and clattered into their path. Lillianne quickly launched into a battle step and swung her halberd hard enough that her mana created Polar Bear paw, tearing through the front line of soldiers. Though no sooner had she completed her swing than more took their place. Quickly she planted her feet and smashed the butt end of her halberd into the ground, making ice creep up her legs holding her fast while she swung through skeleton after skeleton. But even with her rapid skills and attacks, she was still being slowly overrun. Quickly she clipped her halberd to her back and reached for the alien halberd, activating it and pushing a large amount of mana through the converter before swinging it down hard and unleashing a sonic wave that ripped through hundreds of them, but did little to allow them through. Helen, Evan, Mir and Olsen did the best they could, but even though these enemies were mere pushovers, their sheer number alone was quickly making them tire. Suddenly there was a line of explosions ripping through the ranks of the skeletons, creating a pathway for them. Not trying to think who it might be that had helped them, Lillianne pushed them all on through the ranks of the undead. When one of the Skeletons would get in their way, it would suddenly fall. Hurriedly Antonia, Jack, Olsen, Helen, Nathan carrying Aeris, Mir, and Evan spilled back into Ossyria, but Lillianne remained for a moment looking back at the giant castle, and then realizing that the girl Sophilia was missing. Lillianne was about to charge back into the castle when a hand grabbed her cloak and stopped her.

"Lillianne! Comon we need to go!" Lillianne looked back to see Jenny pulling her back towards the portal.

"Matt is still in there!" she shouted. Jenny pointed to the top of the castle as it crumbled, revealing Shinsoo flying out of the top of the castle in his protection state. The portal slowly began to destabilize, the edges of it wavering as the power supply began to run out.

"KEEP THIS PORTAL OPEN!" Lillianne demanded. Franticly the mechanics typed and pulled levers, trying to keep the portal open as she allowed Jenny to pull her back into Ossyria. Contrails steamed back from his stiff feathers as Shinsoo flew with ever increasing speed towards the portal. Just before they were about to make it through, one of the generators exploded and the portal shut down, steam roaring out from under the ring as the other generators spun down and the lights on the ring itself went out. Lillianne stood in stunned silence for a moment and then knelt down on the platform leading to the ring: Matthew was stuck there, alone with whatever monsters were in that dimension. The other guardians came up to the ring and just stared in blank silence as the one person they thought would make it through, didn't.

"How long will it take to get the energy again to dial that dimension?" Lillianne asked quietly. Checky pulled out a calculator and furiously typed in numbers.

"Just a little over eight months: Unless you can get your hands on a quantum crystal drive from Omega sector's Grey museum, he's going to be there a while. But you'd be spotted by the Black Mage before you could get here with the drive." Checky responded making Lillianne hang her head in defeat: eight months, there just _had_ to be another answer.

"Sir! We have an incoming dimension portal!" one of the technicians called. The ring suddenly lit up and spun to the right, stopping on a symbol, clamping down and then rotating to another.

"We haven't been to any other places with a dimension ring, who could be activating this ring?" checky demanded as the tech furiously typed on the keyboard before him.

"It's the same address we just dialed." Each of them watched as the portal spun left and right with varying degrees, locking all the spell seals in place,and then connecting to the dimension from which Human Shinsoo and Matthew came spilling into the room. But just as they came crashing in, the portal collapsed and terminated, leaving Shinsoo and Matthew knocked out on the floor. Eagerly Jenny pulled on Lillianne's arm.

"Come on! I have Shank's ship waiting for us. We need to leave right now!" Jack pulled Matthew over his shoulder him quickly climbing the rope ladder, as ropes were lowered from the ship and pulled Shinsoo up into the hold and the ship, rocketing off into the sunset just as a platoon of soldiers dressed in black armor and carrying spears burst into the hidden room. The one who seemed to be the captain first walked up to Deren, then Chuck with a deadly look in his eyes.

"The Mage will deal with you personally." The man said with a low voice. Checky had never seen this man before, but he could already tell that this man was a snake.

* * *

Athena had been pacing her hut for most of the day and finally decided that she would find a way to get Jin to like her even if she had to be a bit aggressive, which wasn't quite how she saw it since it had been nearly a full day since his injuries were healed, rather she saw it more as a desperate measure. Still, Lilin was right; it was about time she let someone else into her life.

To prepare herself for what she wanted to ask of Jin, she first bathed in a rose water bath: an old family ritual bath when her kind was about to ask a potential partner to 'walk with them', essentially a date. For an hour she made sure that her makeup was right and then went through her clothes, trying to pick out what she thought would make the best impression on Jin, searching and searching until she settled on the Diao Chan dress that her mother had given her from one of her trips afar in Ossyria. It was a rose pink, sleeveless halter Kimono, each edge of the fabric velvet red with a split that came up to her hip. About the middle of her bicep, the sleeves started and flared to the end of her fingers. She carefully brushed her light hair and clipped on her mother's gold drop earrings that she had kept ever since she was a girl. The final touch was a bit of blush on her cheeks and her sandals. Nervously she stepped out of her hut where Lilin was unexpectedly standing, and smiled.

"I'm impressed Athena. Now go get 'em." Lilin motioned towards Jin's hut and handed her a small bunch of blue roses. Purposefully Athena walked, all the while trying to make sure that she knew the right words to say when she went into his hut. To her disappointment however, Jin wasn't there. For a moment she looked around trying to see if he was in a place where she wasn't able to see him, even activating her Eye of Arrows but still unable to see him. Something behind her sounded like a twig breaking, and as she turned she saw Jin walking into the forest. Maybe he was going in there to meditate as often times she had seen him do before he was injured, so maybe this would be her chance to catch him where no one would see them.

For a while she followed him, always being sure that she wasn't seen or heard, because if he was going to meditate he was usually already in a very peaceful state of mind and didn't want to be bothered. For a brief moment she lost sight of him but then soon found him again standing over Syl who still sat in her vegetative state on her knees. Athena quickly hid herself again, peeking around the large tree that hid her existence from them.

"_Why would Jin be coming here?_" she wondered worriedly.

"Syl, wake up." Jin said softly. Syl looked at Jin for a moment in the same blank stare.

"Jin, you're still alive?" she asked, seeming almost concerned and surprised. Jin nodded as he extended his hand to her.

"I'm not that easy to kill. You of all people should know that to be true." Syl looked down to the ground, suddenly ashamed as the memory of what she had done came rushing back to her.

"Jin, I'm…" Jin knelt, put a finger to her lips and shook his head.

"I've already forgiven you."

"But how can you forgive me so easily!? I tried to kill you! All for a misunderstanding."

"Syl, do you remember the first time that we snuck out of Shadow Lord's house together through the back alleys of Kerning?" Syl nodded her head as she recalled all the fun adventures they had at night, even though they had gotten a severe scolding from Shadow Lord every time they were caught the next morning.

"Yes I do, and the times that we trained together."

"And even the few times we stayed on the roof all night counting the stars?" Syl's eyes became softer then her cold killer's eyes for a few moments, making her look down and grab her elbow in embarrassment.

"Yes I do. Those were some of the happiest days of my life." She said. Jin gently brushed aside the hair covering her right eye with the back of his hand and tucked it behind her ear as he pulled her chin up to meet his eyes again.

"It would be pleasant if we could share those days again. Back then and even now, you're the one my heart has belonged to, and it will be the only one that it will ever belong to." Jin said as if reciting a line of poetry while slowly leaning down, pressing his lips to her's. From behind the tree, Athena stood, listening to the words that were tearing her soul in two while tears of pain rolled down her cheeks, bringing with it the black ink of her mascara. The strength in her hands left, letting the bouquet of flowers fall to the ground as the sky opened into a steady light rain, hiding Athena's tears and footsteps from the world as she ran back to her hut, leaving Jin and Syl, healing each other's hearts in the rain.


	16. Chapter 15: New Beginnings

Chapter 15: New Beginnings

It had been four days since The Guardians returned to Herb Town, but Shinsoo and Matthew still hadn't awoken from their unnatural slumber. Grendal and Helen both tried to wake them using various spells, but it seemed that no matter what they did they couldn't end the endless sleep. The others however had been training through those four days: Jack had been either lifting weights or sparing with Kyrin, Jenny had been running courses with Olsen while target practicing at the same time. Helen would meditate or spend hours reading through books of spells and then practicing what she had learned. Lillianne would sometimes come in to check on Matthew up to six times a day, but there still would be no change until the evening of the fourth day. Jack had just gotten back from his day of punching through rocks for training when he decided that he would stop in Matthew's hut just to see if he had gotten any better or not. Just as he pushed the curtain aside, he saw Matthew sitting up and holding his head, groaning as the light hit his eyes.

"Could you please keep that curtain shut, my head is about to split open." Matthew asked, closing his eyes and then blindly reaching for the glass of water on his side table.

"Sorry man; welcome back to the land of the living. Heads up, Lilli's coming." Matthew looked up for just a moment just as Lillianne threw the curtain aside making Matthew's head pulse hard again, then was thrown back as Lillianne wrapped her arms around him glad that he had finally awoken.

"Tell me something: the gate closed on you back in Edelstein, but how were you able to dial the gate and get back? The generators exploded." Jack asked. Outside, feathered wings could be heard flapping as Shinsoo landed outside the hut.

"There is no doubt that as to what happened, but I think that you all need to come to speak before the Masters and the others." Shinsoo said softly. Matthew sighed and nodded his head, despite his splitting head ache which was just bearable enough to let him walk outside to the Counsel Pit where the others waited.

"I understand that Matthew was trapped in the Null Realm for a short while. What happened?" Aran asked, sitting down at his place in the circle. Olsen responded to his question as Matthew made himself comfortable.

"Once we had passed through the gate, one of the supply tanks of mana had run out causing the connection to the realm to become unstable. In addition, one of the power generators exploded when it had overheated, severing the connection altogether. We told them to dial the realm again, but Checky had told us that it would take months to get enough power."

"So how exactly were you able to come back if the power supply had been damaged?" Aran asked with interest as Matthew rubbed his head again from a pulse of pain behind his eyes.

"Well, we had a run in with Sophilia from the Pendergeist Mansion, but we lost track of her. After the portal closed we were faced with the army of skeleton soldiers, but I guess their presence allowed Shinsoo remain in his protection state and pretty much annihilate the lot of them. Just after we finished, Sophilia appeared to us from out of nowhere standing where the portal had been. I apologized for not being able to bring her back to this realm, but she smiled to me and said:

_"It's alright. At least you've gotten rid of the castle that was back there. Besides, I'm long dead so bringing this mansion back to your realm would only serve to bring back an empty house. As thanks for saving Nathan, Aeris and ridding us of that castle, I will send you back to your realm."_

"Before I had a chance to stop her, she transformed what remained of her Life Force into energy and began forming the gate back to this realm. Just as she finished making the connection, the skeletons began to resurrect and pull back together. Shinsoo and I darted through the gate, but as we passed through, something made us black out. The nest thing I remember was waking up in my hut." Aran nodded when Matthew finished telling his tale, thinking over what had been said as he stood and walked over to five stands covered by thick burlap.

"I see; I think you passed out because your Life Force's energy and hers resonated for a moment, disrupting your Life Force long enough to essentially make it short out, causing you to pass out. But that is not why I wanted you all to be here; I have been fully informed as to what the kind of Ossyria you are familiar with, so on that note you will be subjected to what you would know as the third Job Advancement. Here in Ossyria, it is known as the Passage of Champions; in this, you are severely tested physically, mentally and socially. You will also be taught new skills by the Advance Masters; very old friends of mine that have been alive since the formation of Victoria Island. You are to take their word as the word of your Parent's." The five of them looked around at each other, giddy feelings of fear and excitement welling up within them.

"First we shall go to El Nath and the Mansion of the Advance Masters, where you shall then be taken to Ludibrum by them into the Training Hall; A space of multiple areas to train where time passes much differently than you are used to; one second here would be equal to 12 minutes within the hall. You will spend an equivalent of two months in two hours of training to master the new techniques and skills they will teach you." Matthew nodded as he tried to get the pounding out of his head, closing his eyes tightly when a beam of light reflected from Aran's halberd into his eyes.

"But first, I will honor you with these, new armor. Lord Matthew, for you is the Mithril Platine." With an over pronounced swing of his arm, Aran pulled the cloth from over the stand revealing the smooth and highly polished Mithril platting, edged in hammered gold, grieves, and large gauntlets sporting brass forearm guards and a thick plated Mithril helm at its feet.

"For you, Miss Jenny: The Black Lineroa." When the cloth was pulled away, for a moment, Jenny stopped in confusion at what was revealed.

"Is there something wrong Lady Jenny?" Aran asked, catching her confused look.

"This just looks like a black version of the Sky Lineros: the same shoes, the same dress, the same gloves… same everything. Wouldn't just be easier to give me the Sky Lineros?" she asked innocently.

"Jenny, the Sky Lineros was created by Minerva herself. No one has yet proven powerful enough to wear it. Even your mother Athena was unable to control its great power. The Black Lineroa is nothing but a sturdier set of armor." She looked back to the armor and nodded: she knew that she was nowhere near being ready for that kind of power yet, and decided instead to imagine that it was the Sky Lineros in preparation for the real thing.

"For you, Sir Jack: the Viska" pulling the cloth away revealed a fine white silk shirt covered by a black vest which was decorated in gold buttons and a chain over the chest with red and white striped pants; the soft black leather boots, studded with brass rivets and black leather fingerless gloves, dotted with steel studs embroidered with his name in gold thread rested at the bottom of the stand.

"For Lady Helen, the Azure Request. And as in Lady Jenny's case, this is very similar to the Onyx Empress Requiem, but as I said before is just a sturdier armor. The only things that are different are the Onyx Tiara instead of the Gold Dragon Crown, the being dyed blue." Helen nodded as she stepped forwards and looked over the piercing blue fabric hemmed in gold. The only disappointment that she thought of was that it did not shimmer a golden color as the Requiem did.

"And finally for you, Master Olsen: The Bronze Dragon Scales." Olsen admired the tough fabric of both the shirt and pants interwoven with brass chainmail which looked as though it were dragon scales. On the top hung a tightly tied black bandana with a wide brown stripe and dark goggles and at the base rested the Bronze Rovers and the Crimson Boots Mystery.

* * *

Eleanor opened a small vial and poured a drop of glowing white liquid into a glass tube filled with a thin gel protruding from a massive control board, looking up when the inquiring whispers of the Black Mage materialized from the dark.

"Progress is slow but steady. I've only been able to copy and sequence their DNA to this point. As of yet their actual bodies will take at least another two to three months to form." The Mage nodded as he looked up at the empty gel filled chambers, bubbles rising to the top and disappearing through the grate at the top. The Mage stepped eerily behind Eleanor and pulled aside her hair as she unconsciously responded by leaning her head to the side, allowing the Black Mage to gently kiss the side of her neck, making her cheeks flush slightly while another questioned whisper filled her ears.

"Their minds will grow with their bodies and will be that of an adult, from their body to their mind." Eleanor answered. The Mage nodded and let her hair fall back into place and ran his hand down her arm before walking before her and holding out his hand with an image of the remaining Crystal Husk that had yet to be found. Eleanor slowly shook her head as she put the small vial back into its storage and flipped a switch, making the small tube she was attending to close. The Mage hissed with a low tone in the back of his throat and walked out, and down the hall to where his other 'guest' was staying. Casually he passed through the door where Checky was being held; hands held up by thick chains while his feet and legs were stocked to the floor. When he caught sight of The Mage, Checky pushed off the floor as though lunging for the Mage, but was stopped suddenly by the chains and stocks holding him back. Tilting his head towards him The Mage's eyes narrowed, almost as if he were grinning as he held up his hand and summoned as small sphere of his power that hummed and hissed, entertained whispers filling the air.

"You MURDERER! YOU KILLED MY FAMILY!" Checky roared, pulling at the chains that held him back making his wrists and ankles begin to hurt. Hissing in the back of his throat, The Mage waved his finger back and forth, holding up his hand where a vial appeared marked in bold letters 'Life Eater'.

"STOP CALLING ME LOGAN! That name is dead: it was you who tainted the virus! Just your standing here makes me just as sick as the virus did. I may not remember much about that sickness; buy my body feels just as weak with you standing there!" Checky shouted, his rampage stopped when The Mage drew his hand across Checky's face, making the sharp sound echo through the chamber, then leaned down to Checky's ear as quiet, meaningful whispers filled his hearing.

"You're no god." Checky growled through his teeth. The Mage stood to his full height and took a long breath before extending his palm to the man and then hitting him from every side with solidified Black Magic, breaking bones and making small cuts in his flesh as it whirled around him. When he stopped, Checky just hung from the chains and panted in pain while the Mage took his sharp boney finger and picked up his chin to look him in the eye.

Growling whispers made Checky's skin turn pale as he turned his eyes to see The Mage hold an orb of power before his face with an image of first Edelstein, and then his beloved Doctor Claudine walking down the road in her important lab coat and glasses, relaxing his body in submission. With an uninterested soft chuckle, The Mage slipped his finger from under his chin cutting through Checky's flesh in a hairline cut and left the room. Outside, the Oblivion Knights and their Chief returned to their station surrounding him as a guard, their red fabric-like flames fluttering from where their body and arms would be as well as from the top of their helmet. Once The Mage had left, Checky picked up his head up just enough that the blood running under his chin ran down his neck making his eyes darken.

"_Mark my words Black Mage: you will be brought down! The Guardians are far more powerful then you give them credit for._"

* * *

"Don't ogle these items for long; Shank's ship will be leaving this afternoon for El Nath and the Advance Masters, so don't be late." Aran called, shaking The Five out of the admiring gaze. They were about to reach for their new armor when Matthew was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Matthew quickly turned around to see that it was Nathan again with his spear at his side and his helmet under his arm.

"I never did get a chance to thank you for saving Aeris. She's the one person left in my life that I can truly call family." Nathan said, bowing to him slightly.

"You are welcome. I see that your spear has been restored." Matthek commented in return making Nathan nod again.

"Yes; Grendal the Ancient was kind enough to re-invigorate the magic used to create it with his own." Matthew smiled as he nodded, then reached for his new armor when his senses tingled for a split moment making him grab the helmet and held it up just as Nathan's spear slammed into it, sparking as it deflected into the ground.

"What I can't forgive is my embarrassment in the Mana Drill Castle." Matthew looked up to Nathan with fire brewing in his eyes: not only was his headache not being helped by this, but he wasn't exactly in the fighting mood either not to mention he was just in a shirt, jeans and tennis shoes.

"Look, it was nothing personal. Besides, you might have beaten me if I had done things differently. I don't know. But in any case, just let it be." Matthew commanded quietly.

"No, we resolve this NOW!" Nathan shouted, making Matthew wince a bit at the loud noise before brushing his fingers agitatedly through his hair and looked to Helen.

"I need you to heal my headache. Lilli, in the weapon's rack there should be a Mikhail, and would you bring my cloak on your way back." He asked. Helen held out her hand over his head tentatively as his headache slowly dissipated While Lillianne came back with the items he had requested.

"Matt, are you sure about fighting without your armor?" Lillianne asked. Matthew shrugged as he spun the axe in his hand.

"Honestly I'm not sure. But he wants to fight now and I really just want to get this over with. The sooner I can get that done, the sooner we can be on our way." Nodding, Lillianne stood back as he went to face this over eager young person.

"What? Are you afraid of getting your sword scratched?" Nathan prodded. Matthew laughed as his cloak transformed onto his arm and without warning, charged forwards in a blur that Nathan was unprepared for. He only managed to pull his spear in front of him and block the heavy swing that made his spear handle bend slightly.

"I should warn you, I'm not exactly in a good mood." Just as he finished speaking, Matthew turned the blade of the axe up while a blue light gathered at the center of the handle and then launched the axe around attacking from the bottom as a flaming streak followed where the axe had been swung, making Nathan shoot back. With a quick thought, Nathan stabbed the end of the spear into the ground stopping his rearward flight and bringing him to a stop. Once he had landed, he looked up and grit his teeth running forward for an attack. A small wind curled around Matthew while a blue flame moved up his body, gathering in a cloud above him where a small bolt of lightning struck at his feet and then charge towards Nathan.

Nathan thrust forward but Matthew moved to the side, grabbed the spear and pulled Nathan forward while simultaneously swinging down hard, flames igniting along the axe's path. Nathan let go of his spear and jumped back watching as the axe hit the ground and caved it in. Just as Nathan was about to right himself, he jumped back again as Matthew took Nathan's spear, spun around parallel to the ground and buried the spearhead into the ground where he had been a moment before. Nathan took advantage of the momentary lull in Matthew's forward motion and charged again, grabbing onto the end of his spear and swinging around to plant both of his feet in Matthew's back making him trip and fall to the ground.

While Matthew tried to catch himself, Nathan pulled the spear from the ground and was about to run it through Matthew's back when the large shied of his Golden Gaia burst into existence making the spear skid off. Matthew then turned, thrusting his hand forwards as the hazy image of a ghost rose from Matthew's back, making Nathan feel unexplainably weak and slightly dizzy. It seemed almost that Matthew was moving faster, or was it simply that Nathan was having trouble keeping up? In either case, Nathan barely managed to escape the bone crushing force of swings that Matthew was unleashing at him, flames licking at his face with each swing, sparks flying around them in a deadly dance. Matthew saw an opening and just as he was about to swing down, tucked his arm in, ducked down to the ground and side swept Nathan's legs from under him.

As Nathan was still falling, Matthew then swung down with his free shield hand, slamming the entirety of the shield's face into his body and hurling Nathan to the ground. When Nathan was able to open his eyes, Matthew's axe was held just a few inches from his face.

"Do you yield?" Matthew asked with an agitated tone.

"No… NOT UNTIL YOU FALL!" Nathan shouted as he sat up as quickly as he could, thrusting the spear forwards; sparks flew as the spear ground along the broadside of the axe while Matthew moved to the right, but not before the edge of the spearhead grazed Matthew's cheek and sliced it open with a paper thin cut. The light in Matthew's eyes changed suddenly as he brushed away the blood and looked at it for a moment.

"Now I'm in a fighting mood! Now I'm PISSED!" Matthew growled while the once blue glow around his fist that held the axe flared into an angry red as he called upon the Crystal Power. Nathan moved just as the axe came down hard, whistling with the motion into the ground and made a cloud of dust surround them. Nathan spun around and thrust the spear forwards again but instead was met with a body jarring clang, the hit echoing through something that sounded like a metal container. The slight breeze that had been created by the hit pushed away the dust kicked up by Matthew's strike, revealing a wall of iron that dissipated into a cloud of ruby colored dust.

Nathan turned and began running for the trees with Matthew right behind him, taking cover behind the thickest one he could find. Matthew growled as he thought about his options and then held the axe to the sky as small orbs gathered at his hand. When he struck the tree in front of him, six tree's trucks exploded as though something had been shot at them. Nathan could only stand frozen for a moment as he tried to think though his strategy. He knew Matthew was going to be hard to beat before, but now that he was using the crystal power, there would be no way that he'd be able to block that kind of weight in his attacks. He'd have to attack from above, otherwise… his though were interrupted by a high pitched scream surging through the trees. Nathan peeked from around the tree and had just enough time to duck down as Matthew's powerful Solar Scythe blazed through the trees in a wide path. Nathan was just about to get up when the spear was kicked from his hands as Matthew grabbed him by the collar and roughly pulled him to his feet.

"This is pointless Nathan. Just accept that you have lost." Matthew shouted, setting him down on the stump of the tree he had been hiding behind just a moment before, leaving him to think about the battle that had just ensued. Nathan dropped his face into his hands as he shook his head in self disappointment while the five grabbed their new armor and changed into them in their huts in silence, not wanting to further agitate Matthew until the five of them were walking to the docks, commenting on each other's armor.

"Even though it's made of Mithril, this stuff weighs a ton. I'm having trouble just moving around and lifting my arms." Matthew commented, as he slowly walked onto the dock which creaked and groaned with each step that he took, still slight agitated from the battle before but was a much more personable person.

"You look fantastic Helen!" Jenny called out, admiring the backless blue dress which shone just like her royal blue eyes. The flowing golden sleeves started at her elbows and widened to her hands while her Gaia of Shadows covered her shoulders. Jack turned to see her and was stunned at the sight that met him: for once he was actually having trouble_not_ looking at her. Helen looked over at Jack as he stood staring and smiled as she looked over the attire that he had been given. Olsen too was slightly distracted by Jenny's Black Lineroa as she purposefully swung her hips a bit heavier and left the top couple buttons on her shirt undone, while leaving her hat attached to her belt letting her emerald colored hair blow in the sea breeze. Aran stepped up to the end of the dock behind them and set the end of his halberd on the dock, making it vibrate slightly from the impact.

"Guardians, as you may have noticed your new armor is heavier then you are used to."

"Yeah, it's _A LOT _heavier." Jack said as he looked as though her were doing curls.

"There is a two part reason for that. The first of which is that it will be used in your training to strengthen your body, and increase your endurance so that you may begin using the Crystal's power in short bursts with the Mana Overdrive. The second is that your _true_ armor has yet to be completed. It will be ready once you have finished your training."

"One question; usually when we get new armor we also get new weapons. Where are those?" Olsen asked, moving his arm around with his heavy Blood Gigantic on his arm along with his heavy armor. Aran chuckled as he nodded, making his way up the gang plank to the ship.

"Yes Olsen that is usually the case. But this time, once you have completed your training you will offer your current weapons to the Alter of the Sacred Stone where they shall be transformed into a weapon unlike anything ever made. Although in your game of Maplestory many people come and can easily attain weapons of greater power as you progress, it is different in Ossyria. Here in Ossyria, once one has reached what you know as the "third job advancement", weapons must be made. As of right now, only twenty people have ever reached this level of training, and even fewer have gone further to the Master Level because they have settled in their power. Training for normal people is much more physically demanding and thus takes much more time to attain the same plain that you are on; without the crystal's power, normal training takes almost a decade to reach this power level." Just as Matthew managed to drag his legs up onto ship's deck, three voices could be heard following him. Helen turned back to see their three new friends, Antonia, Aeris and Nathan running up the gangplank to the ship, weapons in hand. Antonia quickly made her way to Jenny, Nathan to Matthew and Aeris to Jack, all three of them bowing low and setting their weapons before them.

"Please, allow us to be your apprentices!" all three of them chimed, waiting eagerly for an answer. Jenny quickly smiled and reached down, picking up Antonia's bow and smiling as she remembered starting her own training with a bow just like this.

"You may. But I won't be able to teach you much of anything until after I have completed this training." Jenny answered; Antonia looked up with a huge smile on her face, jumping up and hugging Jenny tightly. Matthew pulled his Neocora from his belt, and set the dull edge on Nathan's head.

"Nathan, son of Jonathan, I will accept you as my apprentice. But know that I must first complete this training in order to better teach you." Nathan nodded as he stood and then handed his spear to Matthew.

"I put my spear in your hands." He said with confidence. Jack was a bit confused at first, seeing the pistol lying at his feet. Even if this girl wanted to be his apprentice, she didn't seem serious enough to take on such a task.

"Have you ever handled a weapon or at least had some basic training?" Jack asked. Aeris shook her head as she rocked back to her knees.

"No, Sir Jack." Jack rolled his head, then his shoulders as he sighed.

"Alright, but for the first few months after I finish this training, I'm going to have to push you a bit harder to catch up to the others. You understand that means you'll be pushed to your limits and beyond, right?" Aeris stood and nodded her understanding, holding the pistol handle first to him.

"Then you are… my apprentice." Aeris smiled large, trying to contain her excitement as she walked over to Nathan and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek.

"May we come with you master?" Nathan asked. Matthew raised his eyebrows as he turned to Aran as if asking the same question.

"If you understand that my word is theirs and that while they are training, I will be your master." Aran said with authority as the three of them nodded in understanding.

"Good. Shanks! Set helm for El Nath!"

"Aye Aye Aran. El Nath here we come." Shanks called as he steered the ship away from the dock and out into the bay where he made final flight checks and then launched the ship into the air. From the shadows, the glowing eyes of Dragonoir watched them leave the bay, his eyes smiling as he thought of a way to destroy those pesky "guardians".

"Phoenix, we're going to El Nath to watch what it is they will do. If all goes according to plan, we should be able to destroy them once this 'training' is complete, since they will be tired from all the exertion." Phoenix bowed his head as he transformed once again into a great red Dragon that he was, allowing Dragonoir to jump atop his shoulders and snap the magic chain bit in his mouth, taking off for the frigid mountains.

* * *

Mir's senses tingled as she felt phoenix transform and then the magic bit that Utah had become famous for using on his dragon.

"Mir? What is it?" Evan asked as he finished the last of his bean buns.

"It's him master. It feels as if he is heading for El Nath where the guardians are going. Should we go after him?" she asked with concerned eyes, the symbol on her forehead glowing slightly in anticipation of transforming into a dragon once more.

"Mir, I think that they will be fine. Besides, Utah is much wiser then he was the first time he attacked so he might be harder to track if he senses that we are coming after him. Besides, Aran is with them." Mir calmed herself as she understood the reasoning of Evan's logic when she saw Athena, aimlessly walking through the market place, bow in hand but not looking like her usual self.

"Mistress Athena? Is everything alright?" Mir asked as she came over to her and touched her shoulder. Athena didn't respond, except to whisper one sentence.

"Everything I wanted wasn't to be." Mir wasn't sure what she meant, but could feel that there was a great sorrow that this woman was carrying.

"Master Evan, please call for me should there be anything the matter. I will be talking with Mistress Athena for a while." Mir said over her should as she led Athena to a secluded place in the woods where the two of them could talk alone.

* * *

Oslen walked from the bow of the ship, back towards the helm, where he spotted Jenny leaning against the side of the ship, the wind blowing her hair back as she watched the clouds come at them and then sail past.

"So what made you change your mind about being the Guardian Archer?" Olsen asked, stopping beside her and putting his arms around her waist. Jenny smiled as she thought back.

"It wasn't so much a choice as it was more so a realization. The more I thought about how I was becoming this monster, the more I kept thinking about Antonia and her request to become my apprentice. I kept telling myself that if I were to train her, then she would become just like me. But then I realized that all the things that I'm going through right now are things that Antonia will never again have to see or endure: I am her shield. That alone gave me the strength to pull on my armor and take up my bows once more." Olsen smiled, putting his arm around her and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm proud of you Jen. You don't know how much this team needs you." He finished when Matthew came up to them and handed them their Alcaster Cloaks as they began their decent into El Nath. The other three were also given cloaks to keep them from freezing to death, though most of their time would be spent indoors or training. Steadily and in short bursts, Shanks fired the landing thrusters, blowing away the loose flakes of snow from under the ship while the landing gear extended from the hull, touching down in the middle of the market place where a crowd of people had already gathered with leis of Snow Roses and cranberries waiting for them. Each of them were quickly draped over their necks as soon as they descended the gang plank and crossed through the sea of people where Alcaster was waiting to greet them.

"Guardians of Ossyria, it is my pleasure to finally meet you in person. I have heard so much about your deeds in the short time here. I never dreamed that I would live to see this day. Are any of you hungry or thirsy?" Antonia, Nathan and Aeirs raised their hands making Alcaster nod kindly.

"I see that three of you already have apprentices: that is most fortunate. Please follow me Guardians; I shall escort you to the Mansion of the Advance Masters. In the mean time, Aran, will you take those three to my house?" Aran nodded as they separated and trekked through the small drifts of snow, up to the mansion that sat over all of El Nath almost like a castle. Once they had reached the door, Alcster turned to them and stood them all in a row, shoulder to shoulder.

"Now remember, these Advance Masters are not ones to tolerate a lax attitude, nor will they accept you giving up. They will push you just as your parents did when you first began this journey. Treat them with the utmost respect, and in time they will become the best of friends." Turning back around, Alcaster lifted the giant brass knocker and let it fall with a heavy hollow sound onto the grand oak door.

"Come." A strong voice boomed, at which the doors unlocked and opened to them into the grand mansion. Just beyond the threshold of the door stood five people each wearing a different colored robe, the hood of which covered their eyes in a dark shadow standing in the same order as the guardians. Jenny tensed slightly as the first of them walked up to her holding what looked to be a serrated bow behind her while a blond braid hung on her right side down to her knees, dressed in a velvet red robe.

"Miss Jenny, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am the advance master Rene." She said with a pleasant tone of voice while the shadow of her hood lessened slightly as she looked up to Jenny. Olsen was the next to feel tense as a man dressed in a Kingfisher blue robe walked up to him, allowing Olsen to better see the cross scar on his cheek.

"Master Olsen, I greet you with the honor of a Ninja. I am the advance master, Arec." He said, crossing his arms and meeting sleeves as he bowed slightly which Olsen returned. Helen watched in awe as a trim figured woman with long ruby red hair draped over her left shoulder in a yellow robe hovered over to her, and set down on the ground.

"Lady Helen, many pleasant salutations to you. I am advance master Robeira." Her demeanor was so elegant and subdued that for a moment, Helen forgot that she was a Master Mage. Matthew snapped to attention when a man in an orange robe came forwards, having a large sword across his back as well as a full beard and mustache across his face.

"Lord Matthew, I have been awaiting you arrival. I am the advance master, Tylus." He said, offering his right hand forward which was clad in a heavy but well polished gauntlets that Matthew reached for and firmly shook. And at last, Jack was approached by a man, swinging around a pistol on his finger with a small smirk on his face in a violet robe. When he spoke, it was with a slight hint of what sounded to be a British accent.

"Greetings to ya Sir Jack. I am the advance master Pedro. Now that each of you has met us, we can begin the first of your training, the mental training."

"Agreed Pedro; each of you will be engaged in battle with each of us, where your will to fight will be subjected to a bombardment of your worst fears and a personal attack on who you are. Though it may seem harsh, it is necessary since your enemies from this point on will be much smarter and more cunning." Robeira finished as Tylus stepped forwards and asked bluntly.

"Are you really worthy to be here?" Matthew stared Tylus back in the eye with a fierce determination as ruby power began seeping from his arms and shoulders.

"The most worthy yet." Matthew growled in return. Tylus smirked as he backed away and nodded.

"We shall see. Come, each of you shall be taken to our quarters to begin the training." Each of them were lead to a separate room of the masters where the Guardians suddenly felt very alone, and very vulnerable to what was about to hit them.

Helen and Robeira

With a sharp clank, the bolt the door slid shut while Robeira hovered over to her desk and pulled the hood from her head, revealing her young and attractive face where her unnatural violet eyes peered out into the world amid the cascade of red locks

"Are you really certain that you belong here?" she asked suddenly. Helen was taken aback by the question.

"I know I belong here; from what your prophesies have said…"

"I'm not talking about prophesies! I'm asking do you think that even belong_ here_? Is everything you know worth staying here? You're nothing more than a child and yet you believe that you can overcome the Black Mage?"

"It's not a question of whether or not I think I can, it is a fact that I must do so." Helen replied with convicition. Robeira smiled as she shook her head.

"You? Defeat the Black Mage? You couldn't even summon a powerful enough magic to keep Jack from dying." Helen's eyes stung with tears and changed to a deep purple, violet flames roaring to life in her right hand while icy cold blurs swirled around the top of her Thorns staff.

"You want power! I'll give you power!" Helen roared as she hurled the flames at her. Robeira huffed, tossing aside the attack as though it were nothing, then teleporting to her before raising her hand to the sky and then slamming it to the ground. Helen managed to teleport away just as a blast of flames shot from the floor all around Robeira, leaving the boards torched. Helen gathered her thoughts for a moment when Robeira was suddenly on her, only being held back by Helen's staff.

"It's no wonder Jack seems so distant! He likes that Aeris girl better than you! A girl who is interested in being a Pirate! What an opportunity!" Robeira smiled. Even more tears began blurring Helen's vision as she tried to stay focused.

"NO! JACK LOVES ME!" she shouted, plucking her finger across the staff and unleashing a compressed Sacred Arrow, throwing Robeira back. Robeira was about to counter when gears of flames suddenly erupted all around her while a fire ball slowly gathered at the top. Robeira laughed as the gears appeared around her.

"You don't even know who you are, do you?"

"SHUT UP! Jack is not that kind of man! Jack is steady, passionate, and most of all, he is not the kind of man to leave someone he cares about! And I am no mere child! I am Daughter of Gregory and May Olman, Granddaughter of Grendal the Ancient! IAM HELEN OLMAN! I, with my comrades, _will_ defeat the Black Mage, and there is nothing that you can say or do that will stop us!" with a burst of dark light, her cloak disappeared from her shoulders, and then reformed as a dark energy bull whip, starting from the top of her staff and coiling on the ground. Helen instantly swung the whip around and snapped it hard at the fire ball, which at first shrank then exploded, sending hundreds of fire balls raining down into the cage of fire she had created. Reaching for her pouch of poison, she quickly formed seals with her fingers and launched a large bubbled of poison into the maelstrom and cracked the whip again allowing the vapors to ignite. With one final swing of her arms, spheres of amethyst power sprang from her body and then shot powerful bolts of lightning into the cage where the ground exploded.

Slowly the fire gears dissipated into mist as the dust and smoke cleared while Helen's whip once again took on its cloak form and hung from her shoulders. From behind her, Helen could hear Robeira gently clapping her hands in proud applause. Helen readied to attack again but just as she was to cast her Sacred Arrow, a cube appeared around her and all spells fell apart. She tried casting another one, but that too failed. Again and again she cast spells but none of them worked.

"Calm yourself Lady Helen, the test is over. You indeed know who you are and what your mission is. I'm sorry if my comments were a bit out of line, but I had to be sure that you knew exactly who you were before we could continue." Helen relaxed as the seal came down, allowing her to look around at the damage that had been done in the room, slightly shocked that she was in command of such devastating power.

"I am most sorry about all the damage." Robeira smiled as she hugged Helen close.

"No need to worry. This is nothing more than a very elaborate Spell that I concocted about 630 years ago." With a snap of her fingers everything was suddenly back in place as if it had never been touched.

"Now, the _real_ training can begin."

Olsen and Arec

Once inside, Arec slid the large bolt on the door shut with an ominous sound echoing in the room and took off his hood, revealing a young man's face with unreal violet eyes and short fire blue hair.

"So you think you're a ninja? Are you sure of that, looking as weak as you?" Arec asked in a hostile tone.

"You don't know the extent of what I've been through to get here." Olsen shot back.

"Your right I don't. But your father Dark Lord must be losing his touch if he picked someone as weak and pathetic looking as you."

"Don't you DARE down talk my father that way!"

"Or what? I'm going to stain his honor? You don't even know who you really are: Just a child playing dress up! You can't possibly hope to defeat the Black Mage as such."

"I know who I am, the question remains; who are you?!" Arec snickered as he drew a dagger from his belt.

"The truth is you _don't_ really know who you are. You're just stalling so that you can find out. That isn't going to work here Olsen. It a wonder that archer Jenny has stayed with you as long as she has." Olsen's shoulders burned and his eyes changed to a hot pink color as the aura from the Quartz within him began to seep from his body.

"_Calm down, he's just trying to get you make a mistake._" He thought to himself, taking a breath while the power calmed and his eyes went back to blue.

"Nice try but it isn't going to work." Olsen laughed, pulling his shoulders back and cracking his upper back.

"Are you afraid to show me what you're made of little boy? I'm right here, take your best shot. That is, if your father taught you well enough." Olsen tried to keep his head, but the last insult left him unable to keep his wits as the quartz power roared down his arm and into his claw and setting the blade of his dagger ablaze with pink flames.

"Then you've sealed you own fate." Olsen growled, disappearing just as he was taking a step forwards. Arec smiled as he positioned his dagger to his left and waited. Olsen appeared above him, fist glowing hot pink and was about to make contact when Arec moved to the side, turned and hurled three stars at him all three blazing with a bright blue flame. The adrenalin surging through Olsen's body kept his eyes wide and focused as he deflected all the stars easily, hurling two of his own back at Arec followed closely by launching after them while a breeze built behind him.

Arec of course easily deflected the stars, and side stepped Olsen in a blur while six cut marks appeared one after the other on the wall behind where Arec stood. In one quick move, Arec drew his dagger across his hand then reached into his pocket pulling six copper coins, ground them around in his hand for a moment covering them in his blood while his hand glowed with mana. He then tossed the coins around Olsen where they exploded all around him. Olsen quickly reached for his cloak and wrapped it around himself just before they detonated, allowing him to be protected from the flames. For a moment Olsen thought his options through: Arec had plenty more skills at his disposal, but he didn't know Eckhart's skills. With that new thought, Olsen burst from his cloak and hurled three double sets of stars at Arec as he ran around him, disappearing with a burst of hot pink flames. Arec waited for what was to come: his senses burned with something foul coming his way, but he couldn't sense Olsen anywhere.

"Are you so confused as to who you are that you won't even face me?" Arec shouted to the air when something of a dark violet color appeared before him, stretching its wings out ominously while four smaller orbs of the same color surrounded him. Olsen then appeared wedging himself in the rafters over head.

"Still your tongue knave! I am no weakling and I know exactly who I am! We WILL defeat the Black Mage. I am the Son of Dark Lord…" as he spoke, quartz power gathered in his hand, slowly being compressed into a swirling dark violet mass in his hand.

"…I AM OLSEN DA'LOR!" with a grunt he hurled the ball of energy which began screaming as a banshee while taking the form of a smoky skull. The small orbs grew wings and all suddenly flew at Arec, meeting in the center with an explosive force while the cloud of poisonous vapors spread out on the floor. The Crimson Gaia suddenly became a glow of red hot energy, attaching itself to the side of Olsen's claw arm and extending out in a blade that reached a good two feet beyond his hand. With a sweep of his arm, a blazing arch of flames shot from the blade and hit the floor with an explosive force. Olsen let out a breath as the adrenalin high began wearing off when Olsen heard Arec's nervous laugh.

"My my, your parent's never told us that you had also been learning from the Empress's Knights as well. You had me worried there for a moment. Well done Olsen; forgive my earlier comments, but I had to make sure that _you_ knew exactly who you were. Now, we may begin the real training."

Jack and Pedro

Pedro spun the gun around on his finger as he first locked the door and then threw the key out of his window, catching the gun in his hand and pulling back the hammer.

"Well, well, well… so you're the son of that wench Kyrin. I would've liked to take a tumble with her if she hadn't gone…" he was silenced as Jack suddenly appeared in his face, pushing the end of his Hades revolver hard into his chin and pulling the hammer back, both his arm and gun humming with ruby power.

"Say that again, I dare you." Jack said between grit teeth.

"Or what? You're going to kill me like you did those pirates?" Jack's finger moved without him thinking, pulling the trigger and releasing the hammer making a loud crack as the hammer hit an empty chamber. Pedro stood wide eyed for a moment, slightly in fear.

"Trust me, I would have if I had reloaded. Next time, you won't be so lucky." Jack said darkly, pulling the pistol away and dropping the empty clip on to the ground and slamming the next into place, smacking the slider back and preloading the chamber.

"Who are you really?" Pedro asked, throwing back his hood: He looked to be about his mid to late twenties, high but sunken cheeks, blazing violet eyes and snow white hair, while a single steel earring hung on his right ear.

"You should already know that." Jack growled.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Jack Waterman."

"_THE _Jack Waterman? Or just some imitation? If you're an imitation, then how am I to know that the real Jack Waterman is even in Ossyria?"

"Don't hurt yourself with all that thinking." Jack scoffed, pulling the belts tight on his Psychotic Edges.

"I wonder If Helen really does like that Dragon mage better then you. He's definitely more powerful, and he's also a mage, which gives her something to be familiar with. But most of all, I wonder how good your mother is at…" Jack could no longer take what he was saying, whirling around and swinging his fist from the ground looking like a comet which Pedro easily caught and stopped.

"My my, is that all you can muster? I'm greatly disappointed in you Jack. Helen must think you're such a weakling. With this much power you wouldn't even be able to knock down an infant. On top of which, your mother may just go out and find another man to have some fun with so that she can have a proper son who knows how to fight!"

"That's enough!" Jack roared, yanking back his fist and spinning around to connect his elbow with his face, but missed as Pedro moved to the left, and then back right as Jack punched again only this time nearly hitting him. Pedro smiled as he grabbed his arm and pulled him forwards while burying his fist into Jack's gut and throwing him back. Just as Jack was righting himself, Pedro clenched his fist and suddenly lit up with a gold light, hitting the ground with such force that it exploded many times in a straight line towards Jack who he rolled out of the way just in time. Jack managed to regain his footing, compressing mana into his hands and then pulling the pin on his grenade, launching it into the air while drawing his Hades again. Pedro smiled, caught the grenade and threw it back, making Jack have to duck out of the way just before it exploded.

"You're getting weaker by the second Jack! Is that all you got!?" Pedro stomped on the ground, making a huge bolder jut from below, which he broke and then began hurling rocks at him, contrails following each of them. Jack grabbed his cloak, pulling around himself to avoid being hit.

"Come on little man! Show me what you got!" Jack clenched his jaw harder until the ruby power from within him began to surge forth: threads of electricity felt all over his body and the ground while gathering at his fists. With a thunderous roar, Jack burst from under his cloak and struck the ground, making floor boards and rocks fly into the air. Pedro jumped back from the attack, but was suddenly over taken when Jack appeared through the debris, a rooster tail of dust following his feet as he rushed forwards. Predro crossed his arms to block, but the earth shattering blows that Jack hit him with were more then he could stand. First the left, then right, left, right, left, right. Pedro was slowly becoming sluggish from so many hits until Jack back spun and hit him square in the chest with his elbow, sending Pedro flying back into a shelf of books. Pedro looked up from his stupor to see a red ball of energy gathering around Jack, while electricity felt all over his arms and orbs of ruby power gathered at his fists.

"My Mother is no tramp! She is happily married to my father, Mark Waterman! My Mother is Kyrin Waterman, Master of the Pirates! I and my comrades will defeat the Black Mage, so don't _DARE_ assume you know who I am!" energy built around him as he spoke, more and more electricity threading throughout the room while the giant, hazy image of lime green sharks began appearing behind him cruising through the air in a circling pattern. In a flash of bright light, The Emerald Gaia melted into light and reformed around his fists as large steel hammers.

"I AM JACK WATERMAN, GUARDIAN PIRATE OF OSSYRIA!" a peel of thunder exploded in the room as Jack launched into a corkscrew, rocketing towards Pedro while the sharks suddenly charged forwards. The hit that resulted shook the ground hard making part of the wall collapse, books and dust flying everywhere. Jack could hear Pedro suddenly appear behind him who was about to unleash a hit onto him when Jack pulled his Hades, jammed it under his chin, cocked back the hammer and pushed a large amount of ruby power into it making the chamber buzzed and hiss. Pedro nodded and smiled, backing off and standing to his full height.

"Very good; I'm sorry if my comments hit a bit close to home, but I had to be sure. You do indeed know who you are, and now, the real training can begin."

Jenny and Rene

Jenny walked into the room and admired the well polished furniture and fine Persian rugs that hung on the wall next to giant portrait of what Jenny thought to be Minerva.

"That's a good painting. Is that Minerva?"

"Yes, I did it myself from memory." Rene replied, lowering the hood from her head, revealing her stunning violet eyes and mass of golden locks cascading into the cloak that framed her attractive round face.

"You did that from memory? Minerva must have died hundreds of years ago, and you're saying you actually met her?"

"Yes, I know this is hard to accept, but I am much, much older then I look. Through those years I have learned many things, and one of those things is when a person is not fit to continue on their journey. Your form is so poor and you strength is less than what it should be. Even a mouse with a cold has more power than you do!" Jenny raised her eye brow as Rene spoke, wondering where she was really going with what she was saying.

"Your mother must be just as old as I am, so it's a mystery to me why she chose to teach someone like you who is so obviously weak the ways of the bow. I can even bet your father left you because you were so pathetically weak!"

"That is crossing the line Rene!"

"What action will you take? I can go on if you need more reasons why I shouldn't teach you a thing!" Jenny bared her teeth as Rene continued, trying to keep her head about her as Rene's assault continued.

"I bet without daddy around, you were such a sad little girl, always being taunted about how your daddy didn't love you enough to stick around. Your daddy didn't want the responsibility of showing you who you are in the world because you were so pathetic!" Jenny reached for her crossbow and fired, ice crystals trailing the bolt as it flew freezing a large portion of the wall where it hit. Rene drew her bow with a Spine Arrow, but the arrow was shattered as Jenny's own Spine Arrow hit it followed by a hurricane force wind, knocking Rene into a bookshelf hard. Jenny disappeared in a howl of wind, appearing again on the top of a book shelf as her bow grew into a giant tribal bow, radiating with Emerald power as a wind began to gather around the bright green, humming bomb arrow loaded in her bow. Her cloak suddenly turned into a stream of wind energy, attaching to her bow as stiffening legs arms.

"I have no use for your rhetoric! My mother is the finest teacher in the entire world, Athena Peirce! My father didn't leave; he died from a heart attack! And I am their Daughter, JENNY PRICE, GUARDIAN ARCHER OF OSSYRIA!" the howling winds she had been storing were finally released, hurtling through the room and pulling in everything that wasn't secured to the floor into the hurricane. Rene's eyes went wide as she first held up her bow to block the incoming surge of wind, but miscalculated when the wind stopped and the bomb arrow kept coming rolling to the to the side only to be caught in the blast and sent flying into another wall. Jenny was still furious, as something began forming around her head, spouting wings while a hazy green cape made of Emerald Power began flowing in the breeze coming from her body. Grunting fumingly, she reached for another arrow and easily pulled the sinews tight, even with the Gaia making the bow twice as stiff. The wind began howling again harder this time, even going so far as to begin breaking down into pure energy that mixed with her Emerald Power. Rene looked up and then began trying to empower a Spine Arrow to counter that attack. When Jenny did release the typhoon, everything in its path was eradicated; even the wall had a large hole in it had Rene not dove out of the way leaving Jenny to calm down as the head band and cloak disappeared. Rene appeared beside Jenny on the shelf, the silver hawk she had summoned perched on her shoulder.

"Jenny, stop. I am truly sorry; I will admit my comments were a bit too far. I didn't know that your father had died in such a manner. I only knew that when you and your mother returned that your father wasn't with you." Jenny broke down into tears while Rene pulled her close and stroked her head, hushing her tears as she did.

"I was surprised though by that attack. I had no idea that you five were also learning from the Empress's Knights. On its own it is indeed a formidable power, but in your hands it is far more deadly. Now that am sure that you know exactly who you are, we can begin you real training."

Matthew and Tylus

Matthew felt on edge as he walked into the room; something about Tylus just wasn't sitting right, as if he were feeling a monstrous hostility emanating from him like an aura. Ominously, Tylus slowly closed the door and dropped the large wooden bar into the brackets, ceremoniously pulling back his hood. He looked to be a man about his mid to late thirties with short maple brown hair that extended down his jaw and around his mouth in a wise looking beard and mustache. His semi thick eyebrows suddenly didn't seem as thick when he opened his beautifully dangerous violet eyes, and then drew the large sword from his back, stabbing it into the ground making the blade ring for a moment.

"The ability to be a warrior of you power is a privilege, not a right. You may be the son of Dances with Balrog but you have not truly found yourself. I will ask again; are you truly worthy to be here?" Matthew lowered his eyes, trying to match the overpowering aggressive stare from Tylus.

"I am more worthy then anyone before me." Tylus smiled, clapping his hands together as a giant blue colored seal appeared and seem to shrink into his body.

"We shall see." Tylus said softly, grabbed his sword seeming as though he were going to strike, despite being at least 10 feet away when something like bright blue dragon's wings appeared on his back, driving him forwards in blinding speed. Matthew barely had time to roll out of the way as Tylus swung, flames igniting over his head in a wide arch. Matthew managed to get back to his feet and draw the Neocora in time to stop Tylus' sword from hitting him, despite the sudden amplified weight it had. Matthew's attention was suddenly drawn to something circling Tylus' right shoulder parallel to his head: a seal rotated from front to back while a small orb circled his shoulder back to front around the edge of the seal with a small flower inside of it. Tylus leaned close and whispered into his ear.

"I've always hated you father. He is such a weak little man. Weak men only breed weaker men. A true warrior doesn't need to have a woman beside him. If anything, all he needs is someone to keep him warm for the night when in a far away country." Matthew grit his teeth as he pushed Tylus back then pulled back and then drove his fist forwards making contact with Tylus face and sending him spinning to the ground. Matthew then stomped on the ground as a large ghost-like creature rose from his back, making Tylus feel weak and unfocused. Matthew's body then glowed golden as he began tuning his mana with Tylus's in a Mana Overdrive. He knew that he could only use one or two attacks before he would have to cut off the Overdrive to continue, so he was determined to make them count. With a rush of speed, Matthew charged forwards, light gathering at the hilt of his sword propelling the sword with a hard left cross. Tylus managed to block the incoming hit, feeling a small part of his Mana suddenly disappear, realizing what it was that had happened.

"Smart move, but you forget that I have access to your mana as well stupid boy! If you plan to defeat the Black Mage with such insignificant power, then you have already failed!" Tylus pulled on the handle of his sword, extending it into a spear with an enormous head. Setting the tip on the ground he leaned back to charge his attack, mana swirling around the spear and solidifying into the head of a dragon.

"Weakness runs through your family. You are nothing more than a little boy playing dress up! Trust me, once Lillianne see's how truly weak you are, she won't even want to look you in the eyes. Wait that's right, you failed to keep Keeny from her unfortunate death!" Tylus smiled as he continued to charge the attack, when something felt wrong: the expression on Matthew's face changed, as did the feel of his power. It was no longer the strong firm power of his mana, it was something else, something thousands of times more potent. As Matthew stood, Ruby Power began leaking from his body as if it were flames. Throwing down his Neocora, he drew the Tiger's Fang which looked as if it ignited as the ruby power charged down the blade. Tylus tried to terminate the Overdrive, but the power feeding through Matthew's body was making the connection hold even stronger.

"Lillianne is a strong, proud woman, but she would never see me as such. My father is not weak for marrying, and having a woman to love doesn't make you weak, it makes you stronger!" Matthew looked back up to Tylus, his eyes glowing hot with ruby power.

"I am the son of Dances with Balrog, otherwise known as John, and Yasmin Drake! Neither of them are the weaklings you make them out to be! And I have not failed in my fight against the Black Mage! I have just begun to fight! WE WILL SUCCEED! I AM MATTHEW DRAKE! GUARDIAN WARRIOR OF OSSYRIA!" Light gathered at the hilt and hurled the Fang right, the tip of which whistled through the air with a contrail following it. Tylus collapsed the spear handle, and tried to block the swing but slid back from the impact of their swords meeting. Tylus raised his sword to counter but was surprised when a giant gold shield appeared where Matthew had been, dissipating and allowing Matthew to swing down, just missing Tylus and hitting the ground with earth shattering force. Tylus turned around, snowflakes flying from the blade as he swung to freeze Matthew when his whole body was jarred as his sword made contact with an iron wall freezing it over instead. Over Matthew, a cloud of ruby power exploded at his feet making Tylus cover his ears from the thunderous roar while the rage in Matthew's eyes contorted his face into something that didn't even look human. Tylus quickly raised his sword above his head and drove the tip into the ground as a violet seal appeared around him. When that Seal had solidified, a second smaller seal appeared inside the first and locked itself into place finishing by a strange head-looking seal appeared and rotated into an upright position. When all the seals were in place, a dragon's head suddenly appeared and let loose the most deafening roar ever heard, shattering the ice and blowing everything in its path away even blowing a hole thought the wall to the cold outside. Matthew had just managed to drive the Tiger's Fang into the ground before the Dragon's Roar allowing him to stand from under the debris around him.

"Had enough kid!?" Tylus shouted, holding his sword at the ready when in reality, he was feeling weaker than ever: the exposure to the Ruby Crystal's via the Overdrive power had really pushed him far beyond his limit and was beginning to take its toll. Matthew smiled as he raised his sword and severed the Overdrive, light suddenly gathering around the blade forming into a giant sword made of pure light. With a roar of wind, Matthew unleashed his Solar Scythe at Tylus who could only watch as the spinning crescent of light came hurtling towards him. With a hard swing he diverted it into another wall but was met by Matthew as he used a Light Step to propel him forwards. The cloak around his arm suddenly dissipated and then formed again around the edge of his blade, creating a serrated edge with large teeth facing rearwards. Tylus only had time to pull his sword in front of him as Matthew swung down, making him shoot into the front wall and fall to the ground. Matthew then held his hand to the sky as ruby power surged into the air above Tylus while streaks of light rose from around Matthew.

"You… are… finished." With a drop of his arm, the light above Tylus separated and formed five swords made of pure light that dropped onto him with blinding speed creating a dust cloud when they hit. The ruby glow slowly dissipated as Matthew came down from his battle high, sheathing the Tiger's Fang and searching for his Neocora amid the debris.

"Well done Matthew. You had me quite worried there for a moment: Mihile has definitely taught you well. I must apologize for my earlier comments, but I had to be sure that you were firmly rooted in who you are. Without such knowledge, the training would be pointless. Now, the real training can begin."


	17. Chapter 16: The Guardians Emerge: T

Chapter 16: The Guardians Emerge, Transformed

Alcaster stood in the foyer of the house, listening to the shouts coming from inside each of the rooms where each of the Guardians were being subjected to a mental scrutiny. He had listened many times before as people before them had gone through the very same procedure; some were able to endure the onslaught but most caved under the pressure from the Advance Masters. Alcaster became worried when he began hearing explosions and feeling the house shake from the battles going on inside the rooms as plaster began falling from the ceiling, making him cast a barrier spell to protect himself from the debris. Then everything became as still as a graveyard; nothing was moving. As if on cue the doors all opened at the same time, followed by each of the Advance Masters who once again put up their hoods and escorted The Guardians down into the foyer.

"Master Alcaster. These fine young men and women have proven themselves worthy of our training. Please inform the Masters that in two hours, we shall return from the rift; we would like them present for the final ceremony." Robeira said in a commanding voice. Alcaster nodded and headed for the ship to deliver his message.

"In the mean time, we shall be going to Ludibrum, where you will learn new abilities to make you even more powerful then you already are." Robeira continued. Gathering the five at the center of a tile mosaic of the sun on the floor, the Advance Master gathered around them and began saying what sounded to be a transport spell when a light engulfed them then settled just as quickly, revealing them just outside of what Matthew thought to the Eos Tower in Ludibrum. It was just as the game had portrayed, except that the studded streets were really cobblestone roads. Not only that, but the city itself was far more vast then just a few houses and the main Clock tower. Sure he had been here before, but never on a high point to see all of Ludibrum.

"Lord Matthew, are you coming?" Tylus asked as Matthew drug his eyes away from the sight before him and followed them into the tower where stiff, toy looking solders waited on either side of a door with golden name plates hanging on their chest: Delv and Olson.

"Halt, who are you?" Delv asked suddenly, raising his stiff arm to stop Arec as he walked forwards.

"We are here to use the temporal distortion and train these young people."

"That is not allowed. Emperor Alishar has decreed it so. No soul shall enter this room." Olson chimed in loudly.

"Since when has Alishar returned from hiding?" Rene asked.

"He returned not long after the rise of the Black Mage, Miss Rene. To tell the truth though, he seemed different, much different." Delv offered.

"Where, pray tell, is Emperor Alishar?" Pedro asked with a smirk in his voice, again swinging the pistol around his finger.

"He is currently in his throne room, but I would stay away from entering that place if I were you; there are creatures he has brought from the other dimension hiding in a dark section of the hallway. We've tried several times to get through, but each time we were badly beaten. All we ever see of those beasts are its eyes." Arec pursed his lips and thought for a few moments.

"We can defeat them." Helen said, firmly setting the end of her staff on the ground. Jack nodded as he tightened the belts of the Psychotic Edges, then checked his Hades one last time. Olsen cracked his knuckles, Jenny rolled her shoulders while Matthew drew his Tiger's Fang.

"Then go. Be warned however that while we are going with you, you alone will be the ones to defeat the beasts." Robeira cautioned as they set off to find Alishar's throne. Many darker hallways crossed and re-crossed each other, each of them echoing with strange sounds.

"Hello there! Are you searching for Emperor Alishar's throne room?" a voice suddenly asked. Jenny looked around with her bow drawn; looking from left to right as she slowly compressed some mana into a bomb arrow.

"Put that dangerous thing away young lady, I am here to help!" the voice said again. Matthew lowered his hand as Jenny released the tension on her bow. Swinging upwards, Matthew unleashed a powerful Solar Scythe into the dark above them which revealed a red balloon tied to a nail hovering in the dark.

"So it was you." Matthew stated with a snort.

"Yes yes. Now, to find the next path, you must take the second left you come to, there my brother Orange will tell you the next step. Go on!" it urged. Carefully the group followed the balloon's instructions, turning down the second left where another voice greeted them.

"Hello! You must have been sent by my brother Red. Now, just keep walking down this way until it dead ends where you will meet my brother Lime and he will give you more instructions." Quickly the group jogged down the hallway, but when they reached their turn the hall was pitch black, nothing at all could be seen except for three pairs of eyes, bobbing up and down as though something were walking in the blackness. Jack and Matthew looked at each other, nodded, and charged into the blackness: Jack launched into a corkscrew at one pair of eyes while Matthew used a Light Step to propel him into the second pair of eyes. Just as both of them were about to hit, all the eyes disappeared and the both of them were engulfed into the inky darkness. For a moment no noises could be heard except for a growl as if they were being surrounded by rabid wolves until an explosion of clangs, gun fire, punches and slices could be head inside that darkness.

Matthew and Jack were then thrown from the darkness, landing hard on the cobblestone path as if the darkness had spit them out. Again the pairs of eyes appeared to them, seeming even angrier than before. Helen was the next to try, walking up to the blackness and standing there for a moment concentrating: small fairies floated down from cuts in the air forming a bowl of liquid golden energy over her head while a fizzing orb of energy gathered in her hand. One of the beasts seem to come over to her, lowering its eyes to watch the swirling energy as it danced in her hand when Helen suddenly hurled the bolt of plasma right at the beast, hitting it square in the face which made it roar with a high pitch scream. Helen gathered another ball of plasma and headed into the blackness where flashes of dull light could be seen inside until a grunt from Helen came as she careened out of the blackness and was caught by Jack before she hit the floor.

Jenny made her next move by readying a spine arrow as a small gust of wind curled around her momentarily, her arms and shoulders glowing as if a blue flame surrounded them. Olsen stood ready, trying something that he wasn't sure he'd even be able to pull off as Quartz power surrounded his arm and stars. All at once, all three pairs of eyes opened in a straight line and at the same level; Jenny let her arrow go, taking aim at the other two in quick succession as Olsen could be heard grunting, trying to move with his armor's heavy weight and hurling three stars level with the eyes of the beasts. Both the arrows and the stars hit right on their marks as a liquid something spurted from where they had hit, sizzling on the ground like acid. The beast's eyes rolled and shut while the darkness that surrounded them dissipated into the air, revealing creatures that were best left to the darkness: their slimy and pale skin made them look like something that had just been born and severely emaciated while their hands and feet were armed with sharp claws. Just beyond where they had made a struggle, the Lime Balloon greeted them, telling them the next set of instructions to meet his brother Sky.

Once there, they were told that they must find the correct path through a series of rooms, which were connected by standing on a pad, numbered 1-3 to meet his brother Black. It took them a while, since sometimes they would stand on the wrong pad and be sent back to the beginning, but they finally made it through all five rooms where they were greeted by Black and told the next set of instructions to meet Blue. Once there, Blue pointed them down the last hallway where the throne room rested.

"Jeeze, it must have taken an hour to get through all of that." Jack whined as they walked up to the door.

"Yes, but think of it this way; at least it was not as complicated as MapleStory's Party Quest." Helen said, as they pushed through the doors where their goal waited.

"Who dares come to Emperor Alishar unannounced!?" a strong voice boomed, the sound of setting his feet on the ground echoing throughout the chamber.

"It is we, the Advance Masters! We wish to speak with Alishar so that we may enter the temporal distortion in order to train these fine young people!" Tylus called. The voice laughed as it came closer into the light that shone through the windows, while two glowing blue lights bounced with each step. What it revealed was a massively fat creature that stood nearly 12 feet tall, whose teeth jutted from under its lips. A dark blue cloak covered the top half of his head, flowing down to the floor and covering his arms. The only other thing that he wore besides the cloak, was a leather belt tied around his waist, similar to a Speedo with a ring of keys and a large pocket watch hanging from it. On his head was a large hat, supporting a grandfather clock on top of that.

"I am Alishar! And I say that _none_ shall pass through the door! My Master decrees it so!" Jenny became skeptical: she knew that a lot of things were different from the game to the actual world, but something seemed off about this situation.

"Who is your master?" she boldly asked. Alishar's eyes looked down to her as he made a strange noise in his throat.

"My master is none of your concern little girl. Now turn and go." He said in a low voice, staring her down with a darker light in his eyes.

"Well masters? What do we do?" Matthew asked, turning back to Tylus as though he were his second father.

"It is up to you Guardians. We are simply here to train you in advanced techniques and abilities. Each of you told us that you were going to defeat the Black Mage. Now show us that resolve." Tylus challenged. Jack eyed Alishar for while, noticing something was strange about the clock atop Alishar's head.

"Jenny, come here for a moment. You have better eyes then I do; can you see if there is something strange floating around that clock?" Jenny concentrated on the clock for a few moments, letting her eyes adjust to the dark, seeing a cloud of something rising from it.

"Yes, it's like a black cloud. Why?"

"If my memory serves right, that is the same kind of cloud that was emanating from the machines in the Toy Factory, and from the toy maker's machinery in the Pandergeist Mansion. I'll bet you anything that whatever that cloud is, has something to do with how Alishar is acting." Jenny nodded in agreement when Alishar noticed them and his eyes went red.

"What are you still doing here? I told you to leave!" He thundered until Helen stepped forwards to distract him, while Matthew, Jack and Olsen talked low over a strategy, filling Olsen in on what had been seen.

"Ok, I need you to see if you can get somewhere near that clock to find out what is making that aura." Matthew instructed, looking to either Olsen or Jenny since they were the two most agile.

"Done." Olsen nodded as he disappeared and began maneuvering his way above Alishar so that he could get a look at what was causing that aura.

"Why is it that you mites are still here!? I told you to leave!" Alishar boomed when he lost interest in Helen and caught sight of them huddled in a corner.

"We're not going anywhere!" Jack shouted in return, drawing his pistol and calking back the hammer. The rest of them readied for what might come while Alishar looked from left to right, suddenly focusing his attention on Jenny. From under his cloak, Alishar raised his stumpy arms as blue light swirled from the clock face into another larger one that looked as though it was coming apart layer by layer, the hands counting backwards to noon. Once there, it activated a powerful beam of time magic that Jenny barely managed to avoid as the floor where she once stood became brittle and dusty.

"Don't let that hit you! It's just like the Chrono's Magic only more potent!" Matthew shouted as he drew his Tiger's Fang, transforming his cloak into the large serrated edge on the cutting edge of his sword. It began pulsing hard as light gathered at the hilt and propelled the sword forwards, missing Alishar by a hair's breadth when he glided away from its path, turning and preparing another blast of Time Magic. Just before Alishar was to fire, Helen teleported him away from the blast that as before left the ground broken and brittle. In the moment that it took Alishar to register what had happened to his target, Jack rush in, hitting the giant creature with a thunderous punch that left his fist smoking, knocking him back into his throne and pushing it over to the floor. For a moment, Alishar didn't move, then sat up with his eyes glowing a dark red while the seal once again solidified and blasted the ground where Jack had been just a moment before. Above them all Olsen watched with keen eyes, quietly jumping from place to place to get a good footing before descending. And then it was there! He jumped from the ledge he stood on, falling onto Alishar's head and hanging onto the clock by digging his dagger into the wood and hanging on as best he could with other hand. He looked at the clock, trying to find what it was that was the source of the aura but didn't find anything right off hand until he looked closer. Deep within the main drive gears of the clock was something shining, reflecting the light of Alishar's attacks: a single gear that looked to be made of some sort of black gem that produced the aura they had been seeing. He was about to reach for it when Alishar suddenly flipped over onto his head, the gears in the clock changing position making the hands of the clock turn faster.

"You dust mites ARE BEGINNING TO GET ON MY NERVES!" he thundered. A hex appeared as it had before, but this time the outer ring spun to the left, the inner ring spun right and the hands on the face spun in opposite directions, faster and faster until the energy gathered turned a bright red. They all ran for cover as the beam fired, leaving a giant hole in the wall where they had once stood turning the bricks to dust.

"Olsen what did you find?" Jack asked as they ducked behind a pillar while the others reengaged Alishar.

"There's some sort of black gear inside the clock that's making the aura. I think if we can get it out of there he'll go back to normal." Olsen was interrupted by a beam rocketing through the hall next to them, Jack managing to pass along the message about the gear to the others. Pulling his pistol, he switched clips for armor piercing rounds and compressed mana into his hand to create a grenade. He waited for Alishar to stop firing and then ran out from behind a pillar, pulling the pin and tossing the grenade at Alishar's feet while firing rounds at the clock on his head, blowing holes the size of baseballs into the wooden case.

"Helen! Can that cloak block Time Magic?" Matthew shouted, looking between her and Alishar for an opening.

"I can try." Helen stepped out and pulled up her cloak, making Alishar turn to her and release another powerful hex engulfing her in a bright blue beam of light as the magic flowed around her, leaving her untouched by the magic. Matthew exhaled relived that his guess actually worked.

"JENNY! Get a fix on that gear!" Olsen called. Jenny looked around where Olsen had been before, her sharp eyes trying to see what it was that Olsen had seen, but having little time since Alishar kept moving. Matthew rushed forwards with a powerful swing cutting through the air when Alishar stood up once again. The sword whistled as it moved, tearing through Alishar's cloak and pulling a large chunk of it out making him stop and look for a moment.

"SURROUND HIM AND KEEP HIM BUSY! OLSEN! GO AGAIN! TAKE OUT THE CASEING!" Matthew roared. Quickly, Olsen flitted from here to there avoiding the beams of magic that tore through the air finally giving him the opening he needed to land on his head, hacking away at the case of the clock and exposing the black gear. Alishar writhed, stomping around from the pain of the case being destroyed as though it were a part of his body.

"HELEN! JENNY! TAKE OUT THAT GEAR!" Helen drew her Sacred Arrow, Jenny her Spine, both waiting for just the right moment. Alisar continued to thrash until he stepped on a spot that had been severely aged by his magic making him lose his balance tossing Olsen to the side. Both of them released their arrows and hit the gear out of the cog set. It sparked off the floor as it hit the ground and the aura dissipated from around the clock, knocking Alishar out cold. For a moment there was absolute silence as each of then stepped forwards looking at the shiny gear that had been purged from Alishar's clock.

"What is it?" Jack asked, bending down to run his hands over the polished surface when Pedro stopped him.

"Don't touch that. It's a gear made from Black Crystal. It is very similar to the Dark Crystal, however the Black Crystal is easily found by extracting it from the corpses of infected Golems of the Sharenien Temples. When that happens, whoever was the one that extracted the crystal would become a puppet master of sorts. This gear was made from such a crystal, allowing whoever wanted to control Alishar that ablity." Slowly, Alishar sat up and rubbed his head as the case to the clock reformed board by board until it was whole again.

"My my, what was it that… Tylus! Rene! My friends! It is so good to finally see you again! Who was it that removed that horrid Black Gear from my clock?" He called, turning when Matthew held his hand out to Jenny and Helen who timidly stepped forwards and kneelt before him.

"You? But you are just children. How could you have…"

"You are mistaken Alishar. These children are the Guardians of Ossyria." Alishar looked back to the five as they looked around his throne room.

"My my, what an honor it is to have you five in my presence! Please excuse my earlier demeanor." He grumbled, bowing low to them.

"Apology accepted, Alishar. And now a request for you my Lord" Robeira stated, stepping forward and bowing her head slightly in greeting.

"Yes, what is it that you ask?"

"We wish to train these young people in the Temporal Distortion chamber. Time grows short to train these five in a normal way." Arec finished. Alishar nodded to them and smiled, despite his enormous teeth.

"I would be honored to have you train in the Distortion. I will personally be your guard while you are training." Alishar then escorted them to the chamber, Instructing Delv and Olson to help him keep watch over them. Once inside, the Advance Masters took each of the Guardians to what appeared to be a doll house where they were suddenly pulled into a hole that engulfed them, spitting them out into a strange dimension that swirled with dark and mysterious energy.

Matthew's new techniques

When they first arrived, Matthew stumbled to his feet, feeling heavier than ever and unable to focus.

"Are you felling alright Lord Matthew?" Tylus asked. Matthew nodded as the feeling slowly dissipated while Tylus pulled back his hood again.

"Alright. This is what I will teach you, the first of which is the most important: Warrior's Overcharge. This you will learn first because it is the most difficult to master. This technique allows you capture the energy released when using any attack. When energy is released, it is then harnessed by the Overcharge Seal and stored in the seal creating an orb that slowly feeds back into your body to make your attacks even stronger. With each attack, the previous orb is recharged and a new Orb is created making both the first _and_ second orbs are feed back into your body. This continues until you have up to five orbs which will allow you to use other techniques. However, managing the seal to hold the orbs is on par with the Mana Overdrive, so don't be frustrated if you don't get it at first." After telling Matthew the seal's formula, Matthew repeated it over in his head while a large seal seemed to shrink into his body.

Tylus raised his hand as a target dummy appeared which Matthew attacked without hesitation instantly making the seal appear around his wrist as an orb appear circled in the opposite direction to the seal. He felt powerful, more powerful than he ever had. Quickly the next dummy appeared and he attacked, but it felt harder as his sword sparked off the stones when he finished his swing making another orb appear. When that orb appeared, it made him feel even stronger. Another dummy, another attack and a third orb appeared, making Matthew feel more powerful than he ever had, however Tylus noticed that the seal was beginning the waiver and bend. When Matthew made a fourth attack, the seal broke and all the orbs disappeared.

"What happened?" Matthew asked, feeling weaker than he had before.

"You lost your concentration; do it again!" Tylus commanded, bringing up more dummies and sending Matthew through the same paces when a light suddenly surrounded Matthew just as he was making an attack.

Helen's new techniques

It felt similar to her teleportation as Helen and Robeira appeared in a strange dimension, Robeira taking the hood from her head once more.

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked. Helen thought about it for a moment as a waves of something like motion sickness wafted over her but soon passed, allowing her to nod.

"Very well. The first of the techniques that I will teach you is the Wings of Light. This may not seem like a difficult technique, but when you try it you will understand. First, you must concentrate a large portion of mana on your back right between your shoulders." Helen closed her eyes, letting the feel of her mana become clear to her and then gathering it on her back, just as Robeira said.

"Now, give it form. Some Mages who have done this technique have chosen different forms, but what I have seen is that the form of wings is best suited for this." She said as she called up ten target dummies with a wave of her hand.

"Now give the mana the form of wings and use the "feathers" of those wings to hit these dummies." Helen concentrated on the thought of wings, but the more she did, the more pressure felt like it was building in her back. She kept pushing, growing out the Mana in the shape of wings as the pressure continued to mount until the spell altogether fell apart, leaving Helen panting and heaving from breath.

"That was very good for a first try Helen. Do it again." Helen again gathered her mana and continued to push past the ever increasing pressure in her back until at last on the fifth try, her wings had fully formed. She opened her eyes to take aim at the Dummies, and thought about firing one of the "feathers" at the dummy when the spell disintegrated.

"Why is this so difficult?" Helen asked, catching her breath as she tried again to gather mana at her back.

"It's because you do not only have to manage a mana form, but you also have to concentrate on multiple enemies."

"Then what's with the pressure I keep feeling in my back? It's like something is trying to escape."

"To be perfectly honest, that is exactly what your mana is trying to do. Your mana is a part of your body, and you are 'creating' wings under your skin that, once fully formed literally push through your skin like water through a cloth." Helen took a breath as she gathered her mana once again and began forming her wings, pushing through the pressure until her wings had formed and then began shooting off feathers. She was only able to fire off f a few before the technique disintegrated again. Helen growled as she quickly gathered her mana, pushed her wings out and was about to launch more feathers when she was surrounded in light.

Olsen's New Techniques

Once they had arrived, it was as if the two of them had already gained an understanding of one another knowing that there would be nothing to stand in their way and no small pleasantries to get out of the way; just pure, uninterrupted training.

"Your father Dark Lord has taught you well in the sacred art of the Ninja. I will teach you to become something even more. But for that, you must first learn new techniques. The hardest of which is the Shadow Double which to put it lightly is on par with Matthew's Mana Overdrive."

"What makes it so difficult?" Olsen questioned as Arec motioned for him to take off his dagger and claw.

"It is difficult because you are splitting your Life Force into a second you, allowing you to perform attacks double what you are capable of. The most difficult part comes in keeping the two parts of your Life Force separate while at the same time feeding the second part enough mana to perform attacks. In order to first split your Life Force, you must force a beam of mana through the middle of it, making the mana that you forced through the middle become the mold for the second you." Olsen closed his eyes, remembering back to when he had first begun his training with Jin and what his mind's eye saw as his Life Force: a strong surging golden river. With some difficulty, he gathered a small portion of mana at the head of that river then made it careen through the center making it come apart for just a moment. The feeling was as strange as it was terrifying as another person, yet the same person suddenly appeared in his mind. Just as he was about to push the two apart parts of his life force, he lost strength and the technique collapsed slapping his Life Force back together so hard that Olsen felt jarred. Arec nodded as if telling him to try again and he did, splitting his life force once again and slowly pushing the two halves apart while at the same time creating a mold of what he had looked like, when it was suddenly there! Arec called up a mirror from the ground so that he could see what he had created: there behind and slightly beside him stood a second Olsen; every move and action he made was repeated exactly by the double.

"Now that you have successfully done this, collapse it and do it again until you can perform it at will without any effort." Time and time again, Olsen would call up the double and disperse it, each time getting easier and easier to do. After two hours, Arec told him to strap the claw onto his arm where Olsen suddenly felt strange, as if someone was punching him in the stomach and collapsing the double.

"What the heck was that?" Olsen asked while his head felt like it was spinning.

"That is what happens when you add something to_ your_ body without collapsing the double first. What you experienced was your body trying to recreate what you had by extracting extra mana to compensate and create the tools. This is where things become harder, as now you need to not only use mana to create the Double and supply the needed mana for skills, but you will be using mana to create your dagger, claw and stars. Don't get frustrated if you can't figure it out all at once, this is a difficult technique." Olsen growled as he collapsed the Double and once again began splitting his Life Force and making his equipment until his mana ran dry. After a rest he would be right back at it, all the while a glow steadily surrounding his body.

Jenny's New Techniques

Jenny and Rene suddenly zipped into existence, Jenny looking around at the vast and strange energy that surrounded them.

"This is one place that I defiantly don't remember being in the game." Jenny commented as she looked around.

"Remember, this isn't a game." Rene reminded her as she pulled her hood from her head once again.

"From what I can see, your mother Athena has taught you well, and for all she has taught you up to this point, she has done a fine job of bringing you up in the way of the bow. However, in order to face and defeat the Black Mage, you are going to need stronger techniques; much stronger techniques. We have all the time in the world here. You could spend an entire year training and only a day will have gone by." Rene explained, waving her hand to the side before turning back to Jenny and folding her hands.

"The first of many techniques that I will teach you is the Rain of Arrows: A deadly technique that when fully mastered can do the work of 100 archers. To do this, you must essentially draw your Spine Arrow and fire it into the sky. However, this Spine arrow will take far more mana: once it reaches its apex of ascent, you will shatter the arrow into a hundred arrows that come down."

"That's doesn't sound too hard. I bet I could do it on the first try." Jenny said confidently as she drew a Spine arrow and shot it into the swirling 'sky' above her, however when she thought it had reached its apex the arrow simply disintegrated into a cloud of sparkling dust.

"For what it's worth, you do have the shattering down. But shattering a Spine Arrow into 100 arrows takes more than just aiming and firing, you have to make sure that youhave supplied enough mana and that each Individual arrow it is shattered into remains intact until it hits its intended target. Now do it again, this time with more mana." Jenny tried again, pushing more mana into the Spine Arrow and letting it go into the air. Once it reached the apex the arrow shattered and began coming down in a sheet of arrows. But before most of them hit the ground they vaporized and turned to dust.

"Again." Rene called demandingly as Jenny pulled her bow and let the spine go, over and over again, trying to overcome the vast amount of concentration needed on so many arrows, all the while a steady glow beginning to surround her.

Jack's New Techniques

Almost as if a strike of lightning hit the ground, Jack and Pedro appeared in the dimension making Jack chuckle as he looked around at the expanse that surrounded them.

"So I take it this is where we're going to be for the next two months?" Jack asked, checking the clip in his Hades. Pedro pulled back his hood as his violet eyes seemed to laugh in the strange light.

"Actually we're only going to be here for about two hours. But to you it will feel like two months. Time passes much more quickly here so that vast amounts of training can be completed in a matter of hours." Pedro explained, his smile fading into a far more serious expression.

"I will say that I have always respected your mother for the powerful fighter that she is and because of that, I have high expectations of you to surpass her one day and defeat the terrible Black Mage. For this purpose, I will teach you skills and techniques that will push you to that goal."

"Alright, so where do we start?" Jack asked excitedly, rubbing his hands together in thick anticipation.

"The first thing you will learn is the Hyper Fist: a state in which an extremely high amount of power is available to you. The down side is that in a very short time, it will use up all your mana." Pedro answered, demonstrating himself what the final product would be: for a moment his white hair stood on end in an unseen updraft when his eyes started glowing white and all of his body was engulfed in a gold glow, humming with power while each breath that he took sounded as if it were a flame being raised and lowered on a gas burner, hovering off the ground slightly.

"This is what I will teach you." Pedro said, his voice sounding strange as if another person with a deeper voice were speaking with him. All at once the glow stopped and Pedro dropped to the ground.

"So how do I do that?" Jack asked impatiently.

"What you must first understand, is that this technique is like opening a faucet of mana within your body. Imagine that your mana is being supplied to your body via a spigot. As of right now, let's say that spigot is one eighth of the way open so that it isn't used too fast. What this technique does is open that valve all the way allowing the mana to rush from your Life Force into your body at an unrestricted level, giving you strength beyond what you have ever known. But with your mana levels, you will run out of mana within a few seconds so you can't keep this up forever."

"What about Crystal Power? Can't I just use that when my Mana runs out?" Pedro shook his head.

"Trust me, stick with mana and you will see why." Pedro taught him the seal for releasing the mana fully, and then stood back as Jack repeated the seal in his mind as a blue haze began seeping from his skin like smoke.

"Good, now find where your mana is being held back and release it!" For a good thirty minutes, Jack searched his inner being for that valve with no luck, until he began tracing back his flow of mana through his Life Force, reaching something that seemed to be holding back his mana. He repeated the spell and watched in his mind's eye as the valve opened, letting all of his mana rush into his body as if it were a fire hose. His body began to hover as a golden glow surrounded him, his eyes burned into a white color as his hair stood on end and the whole of his body flashing into a gold color. Jack could only stare at himself as the overwhelming feeling of power flooding his body made him become lost when suddenly the glowing and hovering all stopped, making him land on the ground flatfooted making the shockwave ripple up his spine.

"What happened? I was just… oh man…" an extreme feeling of sore muscles rolled through his entire body, making him collapse to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Now multiply that feeling by 1000 and that's what would have happened if you had used crystal power. Rest for a while and then try again." Pedro instructed. It was a good 20 minutes before Jack's mana came back and he tried again, this time trying to regulate the large amount of mana while still keeping the Hyper Fist going until a white glow suddenly surrounded him and he found himself dressed in heavy armor swinging down his sword through a target dummy while some sort of strange seal whirled around his wrist.

"What the… What just happened? A moment before I was getting ready to go into Hyper Fist and now I'm here? Where is here?" Jack asked, thinking back but everything that he thought he had learned, had been replaced by sword fighting techniques and styles.

"What you are experiencing is what we Advance Master's like to call Cumulative Training. Every so often, this place will put you in another of your friend's place so that you can learn each other's strengths and weaknesses by fighting and training as them. Without this form of training, you can become a strong fighting force, but not one that knows everything about each other. This way, you will be able to know each other in and out. What is learned will be passed back to the original host." Tylus answered.

"So what you're saying is that one of the guys could be in my body?! JACK YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR HAND OFF MY CHEST!" Helen screamed, finding herself in Olsen's place with figure hugging armor.

"No Helen, your experience has changed, not your mind. Right now, you are learning as though you had been the Guardian Ninja from the beginning. Whoever is in your place is learning as though they were a Mage. Both body and mind have changed; the only thing that has changed is the existence."

"So what happens to the stuff I learn while I'm here as the Archer? Does it stay with me?" Matthew asked, looking over the bow and finding it hard that it all seemed so natural.

"In a way yes: but all of what you learn is shared with the original person. You are merely learning this to understand what it is truly like to be another of your comrades so that you know when and where you need to be. Experiencing this as the others, we found, is the best way to understands strengths, weaknesses, and needs." Rene replied to Matthew. Olsen nodded in contentment of Pedro's explanation as he looked over his equipment as the pirate; liking the fact that now he wasn't so scrawny looking.

"Well then, let's get to it!" he shouted, once again trying to activate the Hyper Fist with a climbing yell.

* * *

Dragonoir watched as his greatest embarrassment walked into the Eos Tower, where they would surely get stronger, but at the same time, would be perfectly open to a frontal attack: It would be perfect! Of course he had been studying since the last time they had met, and in doing so, managed to make himself all the stronger. From under him he could feel Phoenix shuddering in anticipation, just waiting to strike from the perch atop the Clock tower in Ludibrum.

"Steady Phoenix, you will have your chance. For now, I want those brats to relish every last moment they have before their demise."

* * *

It had been such a long time since the moment that Athena's heart was ripped in two. At least, it felt like a long time: a lifetime, an eternity. Morning no longer held the special promise of a new beginning, nor did trying to teach the archer patrol unit new and better tactics have any meaning for her.

"Athena, you really need to just let go of him. You know what he's like: stubborn, proud and at times Ill tempered." Mir said to her one day, trying to pull her out of this deep rut she was in, walking up to her in her human form.

"That's just it Mir: I can't let go of him. A part of me had already become his, without even knowing it. I know what it is to lose what you treasured most when my husband died of a heart attack. But when Syl took him back, it left me lost. So many times I tried to be alone with him, to even ask him to walk with me in the setting sunlight, but the feelings that I shared for him were never returned. It hurts to hang on to a quickly dying hope, but it hurts more to let go of it all together."

"Then do something about it. Let Jin know what it is you feel for him."

"Mir! He's already said that Syl was his one and only, I overheard him!"

"Then tell him anyway. If you keep all of this hidden within yourself, you won't be able to move on in life because you are still holding onto something that doesn't exist. At least this way, he'll know how you feel and it might even begin to sway him." Athena bowed her head and smiled slightly: she was right. Telling him might tip the scales in her favor.

"You sound like you speak from experience Mir." Mir suddenly became confused at her comment.

"How do you mean?" she asked, absently and vigorously running her fingers through her gold and black hair while her wings fidgeted.

"I mean that you must have had the same situation towards Evan that I'm having towards Jin." Mir looked away, swallowing hard and thrumming in her throat.

"That's impossible. Master Evan is just that, my master and I am by his side no matter what it is that will come our way." Athena leaned forwards a little, becoming interested in this dragon's responses.

"Is being bound to him the only reason that you stay near him? The Empress and Shinsoo share a stronger bond than you, and yet he doesn't abide by the Empress as you do." Athena asked. Mir turned and looked Athena in the eye, her pupils narrowing to slits but not answering right away as her cheeks blushed slightly and her eyes relaxed once more.

"I… that is… I don't know." Mir flipped her tail around agitatedly as she thought about what had been said: Her? Love Evan? That was preposterous! She was a dragon and Evan was a human. But… she could take on human form. She had observed the human rituals of affection towards each other and frankly, she almost preferred them to the dragon ways of showing affection, especially this thing called a 'kiss'. She had seen many people around the village perform this, and even watched as Lilin and Aran performed this small ritual and wondered, what it would be like to receive a 'kiss'. Just then Evan came walking up to them dressed in a pair of brown pants and a loose white shirt.

"Mir! There you are; I've been looking all over for you. Come on, we need to head to the training ground so we can practice some more, I think the Guardians are going to need our help soon."

"Yes Master, I'm coming." Mir jumped off the barrel she had been using as a chair and was about to follow after Evan when Athena's words stopped her.

"So you _do_ love him after all." Mir could only hope that the heat in her cheeks would die away soon as she left, walking after Evan to their secluded area where they trained. Mir noticed however that as they walked, some of the human females would come up to him, talking to him in a most friendly way and she began to notice a hot feeling in her chest. What was it that was making her feel like that? Was there a buildup of her fire breath? No, that wasn't it. Was there something in the air she was allergic to? No, that wasn't it either. Then what was it? What in Minerva's name was making her feel the way she was?!

"Mir? Are you alright?" Evan asked making Mir jump a bit as she was broken away from her momentary trance and looked up into her master's face.

"Uh… yes, I was just remembering something." She fumbled, thinking to herself that it was a poor excuse. But Evan bought it and nodded his head, turning to walk again to the training area.

"_At least I won't have to think during training._" But even during their training, things were no better; all during their practice, Mir caught herself many times affected by her Master's touch against her neck as they flew together. Many of those times she would miss her timing in using her own power once Evan had cast the spell. Time and time again she would miss fire or completely forget to fire her power, making their practice more like a ride on a choppy sea. After a couple hours Evan jumped off and stood before her.

"Mir, what's the matter? Your timing is way off as is your power usage." Evan asked. Mir looked up at him in her dragon form, but no matter what she did, she felt that she couldn't focus on the task right before her.

"I think that's enough for one day. Maybe we'll pick up again tomorrow." Evan said frustrated, rolling his neck and rolling his shoulders trying get rid the stiff feeling out of them from the rough training.

"_Why? Why am I so unable to focus!? No matter how many times I try, the thought of Evan always gets in the way and makes me lose focus again, and again, and again._" She thought as she collapsed to the ground and reverted back to her Human form when Athena's word came back to her:

"_So you _do_ love him."_ Mir looked up to Evan as he walked away, feeling the same hot pressure in her chest from before as another woman came up to him and began chatting carelessly with him.

"_No get away from him! Master Evan belongs with me! He's my…_ _he's my… what is Master Evan to me?_" she wondered, not sure if what she was feeling was really what the humans called, love. Could such a thing exist between a human, and a dragon? Oh how she wished Afrien was still alive so that she could ask her what experiences she went through. Slowly she got up and followed after Evan; there had to be some simple reason for her to be acting like this towards her Master. She didn't want him to be _just_ her master, but… what else was there?

* * *

In the final minutes of training, explosions from inside the Temporal Distortion could be heard as each of the Guardians had slowly grasped the skills that they were taught that in the hands of any normal human would be fearful, but in their hands were nothing less than deadly. As the time passed, they slowly began figuring out how to replace or mix the Crystal power with their mana with and not be completely exhausted. Dragonior waited undetected, even by the masters as they strode past him into Eos tower where those children waited. But wait; something was different about one of them: each of the masters had a distinct air about them, a magical pressure that was unmistakable. But the one called Athena, something was different; it felt like her, but at the same time, it wasn't quite the same. No matter, in the end all he wanted was to get rid of the kids anyway. Inside, each of the guardians were still training in each other's existences: Jenny had been training as a Swordsman for the past hour, and had a new found respect for Matthew as she became aware of the sheer weight of his armor and weapons, appreciating his brute strength after going through Helen's, Jack's, and Olsen's, each one giving her a new respect for her friends.

Helen was going through the paces of an archer, now knowing that Jenny didn't have the luxury of just looking and casting a spell and the result would appear where you wanted it, not to mention that if you were lacking a bow, nearly everything that you had learned was useless. Jack had been training as a Ninja and now understood why he has always at a distance when he decided to attack. Not only did he not have the upper body strength that Jack did, but he also needed space to throw the stars from his claw. Olsen found himself feeling in awe of Helen after he had been through her existence knowing why it was that he often saw her reading some old book or sitting alone in a quiet place meditating. Matthew now had a great respect for his comrades, especially Jenny, since she needed some distance at all times in order to make her attacks count. Just as they all finished the last of their attacks from running through a mass of mana clones, they finally all returned to their original existences and suddenly were all in the same room.

"You five have completed the training portion. Some of you still need to polish you work, but all in all, you are now a fine group of well trained warriors. Two final tests remain for you before you are given a new weapon. Matthew, you might need this later. It's a gift from Glimmer of Masteria that just arrived." Robeira said, hovering down to Matthew and handing him a rather large headed spear with the name Sunlight engraved on the shaft then tapping each of them on the forehead.

Jack's horror

With a thundering tear, Jack found himself standing in a great hall of sorts standing on a single path surrounded by great pillars etched with an ancient design. Something felt that it was calling him at the end of that path were the luminous moss that grew there was no longer alive, leaving the entire area black. At first Jack slowly walked down the path, then began jogging, and then into a full on sprint until he passed through the dark and into a room where he skidded to a stop: there before him was the Black Mage. Terror struck him hard as his mind screamed at him that he needed to do something, but what? The Mage looked up at him and motioned with his finger to come close, but Jack couldn't move a single inch. With a rush of speed the Mage lunged at him, making Jack finally come out of his trance-like fear and begin to move.

Quickly he began fighting back against this monster, blocking his moves and throwing his own, being blocked, all the while a sphere of highly concentrated energy building around Jack. When the sphere had solidified, Jack reached his arms wide and stepped forwards just as the Mage was making an attack, allowing him to slam the palms of his hands together and use the energy he had gathered to strike the Mage in the chest, hurling him back. However the Mage righted himself and came lunging again, this time with fists ablaze in a mana flame. Jack's own fists glowed red as he drew back his fist and drove it forwards hitting The Mage once more with a thunderous roar as threads of lightning felt all over the rocks in the cave. The Mage was about to attack again when he was hit hard by Jack's corkscrew, pushed even further back by powerful yet quick jabs, launched into the air by an uppercut and then driven into the ground as Jack jumped into the air and back spun above him. The Mage quickly pulled himself from the ground and jumped back just as Jack came crashing down in his Hyper Fist state, making the ground explode all around his fist and cave under the weight. The glow quickly faded and he drew his Hades which glowed red for as he pushed a massive amount of Crystal Power into it, and then froze over making a blast of ice surge from the barrel and pin him to the wall. The same thing happened again as this time, the end of the gun erupted into a wall of flames, pinning The Mage against the wall for a moment. When it stopped, The Mage dropped to his knees as Jack once again opened his mana gates and making the blades ring on his knucklers.

"Goodbye you baseborn tyrant!" Jack growled as he pulled back his fist, making the blades of the Psychotic Edges ring in a high pitched note from having such a high amount of power surging through the blades.

"JACK NO!" The Mage said all of a sudden, but his voice wasn't what he expected. It sounded like a woman's voice, making him stop just a few millimeters from The Mage's face. The Mage reached up and pulled off his hood, revealing that it was Helen.

"Helen! What, how…" Jack pulled his fist back and closed his mana gates.

"It's no longer the Helen you knew. She let her guard down too much, and allowed me to take over her body. Now what will you do Jack?" For a moment Jack hesitated, trying to decide if what he was seeing was real, or just another illusion. But the momentary hesitation let who ever this was charge at him and pin him to the ground. But as he was being held there, he saw tears begin forming in her eyes. What if it was her? She would have no control over what she was doing if that was the case. Her tone became pleading and warm as she spoke once more.

"Jack please! Just end us both! I can't get him out of my head! I just looked away for a second and…" Jack's fear was suddenly vanquished as she spoke, allowing him to once again open his mana gates and hurl her from over him, pinning her to the ground.

"Helen wouldn't allow something so armature to happen!" he roared, drawing his fist back once more driving his fist through her chest in into the ground which exploded around them leaving nothing except a single dark colored pendant. The golden glow around him faded as he sat for a moment thinking over what he had just done; would he be able to do what he just did if something like that_ did_ happen to Helen?

Jenny's Trail

A swirl of energy appeared at the beginning of the pathway, lined with pillars and limestone carvings as Jenny stepped into the iridescent blue cave. She quickly recognized this place from when she had made many a character defeat the Clone of her mother, Athena. Casually she strode down the path to where it passed through a dark portion, almost darker then night itself. She passed through it without any trouble, but instead of seeing a copy of her mother, the unmistakable form of the Black Mage stood before her. Jenny's cloak immediately dematerialized and strapped to her bow as she began strafing to the left, pulling and firing powerful arrows at him each one tearing through the air with pressure rings flaring into existence as the arrows flew, distorting the air around them. The Mage quickly blocked each of the incoming arrows as though he were holding some sort of dagger or shield. She reached back and grabbed four arrows, pulling them against her stiffened bow while each one glowed in a green light, quickly firing one by one as soon as she let go of the sinews, each one sparking as it hit the ground behind where The Mage had been running. Quickly she changed tactics, grabbing a small stone out of a pouch that Rene had given her during her first training and pushed a small amount of mana through it, calling a silver hawk to her side which began side swiping the Mage with its wings as it flew past him, allowing Jenny to focus her next attack. Quickly she chanted out a small spell as small flames tore to life on her bow, igniting the arrow she had loaded and swirling in the winds that were gathering around the arrow until it was nothing but a mass of flames glassing the rocks. Just as the Hawk ran out of its own mana and disappeared, Jenny aimed the arrow into the air and fired, splitting it into a hundred arrows that began falling like flaming rain.

"JENNY! IT'S ME OLSEN!" The Mage shouted, pulling the hood from his head and revealing Olsen's face. At first Jenny kept the arrows coming down thinking that it was nothing more than a simple trick until she noticed the scar on his cheek. Instantly the arrows ceased to exist as Jenny stood in disbelief.

"How can… you were just…"

"Olsen didn't live up to his reputation as the Guardian Ninja. Even with his training, he still lost his body to me. And now, sweet child, I can use this body to house all of my power!" Jenny swung her bow, calling up a strong gust of wind to knock Olsen back, but he held fast as he laughed and drew his dagger, lunging after her and quickly pinning her to the ground.

"Jenny! Just end it now! I can't fight him any longer…" Olsen called. Jenny gritted her teeth as he spoke: this wasn't Olsen! He wouldn't give up so easily. He would fight until he was either dead, or he won. Reaching for her crossbow she jammed it in his side and pulled the trigger, making the frozen arrow punch a hole through his gut and pack it full of ice. Just as the Mage was recovering from the blow, Jenny once again fired an arrow into the sky, then fired a bomb arrow at his feet making him fall to the ground just as hundreds of arrows hit his body making him look like a human porcupine. For a moment he struggled to breathe and then disappeared, leaving behind a dark colored pendant while the arrows faded away leaving the holes in the ground behind.

"Could I have really done it if Olsen had really been taken over?" Jenny asked herself as she picked up the pendant from the ground.

Matthew's Resolve

The next thing that Matthew knew he was standing in a long, pillar lined hall with the end darkened to a black nothing. Something coming from that darkness made Matthew uneasy, making him strap the spear across his back and draw his Neocora, transforming his Cloak to the harm shield and walking forwards slowly so that he could be ready for anything, especially for whatever was making him feel that god awful presence. Slowly and cautiously he inched forwards, but when nothing happened he charged forwards through the blackness and came face to face with the one man he was training to defeat: The Black Mage. Quickly he activated the seal around his wrist as a cloud of blue smoke exploded from the bottom of his feet while the guard of the sword glowed red, propelling the sword through the air as the Mage jumped back, barely avoiding the singing blade. The Mage produced his own sword, swinging hard in return but was met with the Neocora instead as a small seal appeared around Matthew's wrist. The Mage pulled back and was going to attack again when he was instead met with the giant shield the Gaia had transformed into. Matthew rushed forwards, slamming the face of the shield into him and knocking the Mage back, allowing Matthew enough space to strike with a downward cross. The attack didn't hit flesh, but did tear the Mage's cloak slightly as the Mage tried to back away as another seal appeared around Matthew's wrist. Quickly he pressed forwards, pushing the Mage back and gaining more seals with each stroke of his sword, but being easily blocked at every turn. Matthew suddenly gathered all the spheres he had saved into himself, empowering his strike with a massive weight and strength against The Mage's sword, the contact making a shower of sparks dance across the ground for a moment while a dark aura emanated from Matthew's sword.

"Alright… if I can't move your defense, I'LL JUST GO THROUGH IT!" The cave was suddenly filled with an immense quaking as a reddish-violet seal appeared in front of Matthew, then a second layer appeared within the first, finally finishing with a Dragon's head appearing in the center. The roar that followed was deafening; making the birds in the trees hundreds of feet above them take flight from their perches. The Mage lowered his arms from guarding against the Dragon's Roar to see that Matthew's sword was now set ablaze with bright red flames curling around the spear he now held. Lines of red light formed on his head in the shape of horns while similar lines from his back formed wings and a tail as Warrior's Overcharge seal appeared around his wrist once again. The wings beat once and pushed Matthew with explosive force as the flames intensified; The Mage swung to the right deflecting the blow, making a seal appear on Matthew's wrist. The forward momentum was too much for Matthew to stop, so he grabbed his Neocora and collected the two seals as a single symbol in the shape of an eye appeared on his forehead, propelling the sword forwards through the Mage's chest and into the rocks behind.

"Now, let's see what you real…" Matthew pulled back the cloak and froze when it revealed a sight that he wasn't prepared for: hanging from the wall on the blade was Lillianne, rivers of blood pouring from her mouth and staining her skin while her normally life filled blue eyes looked grey and dead.

"Matthew, why?" she gurgled weakly, reaching her hand out to him and brushing the side of his cheek. It was almost too much for him to bear, seeing his beloved Lillianne run through by the very one that had sworn to protect her.

"At least, let me send you off quickly." He said, closing his eyes and backing away from her touch, telling himself over and over again that it was not Lillianne, that she was safe in Herb Town, and that she would not be the Black Mage; but every time he told himself that, it became harder and harder to actually end her life when he looked into her eyes. He stepped a small distance away and drew his Tiger's Fang, standing like a samurai with his sword at the ready when Lillianne's voice changed.

"Yes, that's it warrior! Kill the very one you love! After all, she's nothing more than my vessel now!"

"SHUT UP!"Matthew raised the sword and swung back down so hard and fast, the movement couldn't even be seen. However the ensuing shockwave that came ripped through the cave as if a volcano had erupted.

"_This technique I will teach you is something that not every warrior is chosen to carry, called the Air Ground. The initial principal behind this is to swing so hard and fast, that the air is split with the cutting edge of your sword. When the air comes crashing back together, the resulting shockwave is directly proportionate to how hard you swung._" The instruction of Tylus echoed in Matthews mind as he watched Lillianne reduced to a pulp against the wall, leaving a dark colored pendant hanging around the Neocora blade, falling to his knees realizing how much energy was used after using the Dragon's Roar.

"Would I be able to do it?" Matthew asked to the wind, wondering if it had _really_ been Lillianne, wound he have struck her down still?

Helen's Hesitation 

Helen was no stranger to the odd feeling that the Teleportation spell always gave her, finding herself suddenly walking down a strange hall with ancient pillars depicting a language that she had never seen yet had the odd notion that she could read the letters easily. She didn't really notice herself being drawn to the darkest part of the hall until she was suddenly surrounded by it, following a small bluish light. When she finally came out of the other side, she found that instead of being a clone of her grandfather that she would have to fight, it was the Black Mage himself. Helen placed her hand on the head of her staff, solidifying her Mana into a sphere, but just as it was about to solidify, she had to quickly grab her cloak and pull it around her as a powerful spell was hurled at her, sparking as it hit the cloak. Instead of the mana sphere, she then drew an arrow which roared with a violet light as poisonous vapors rose from the smoke of the fire around it and let it go. The Mage just dodged the arrow but was met instead with a giant bubble of poison that Helen burst with a crack of her cloak whip, instantly filling the entire area with a cloud of poisonous vapors. The Mage then lifted his hands to the side as if gathering a powerful spell when first his left hand, then his right were frozen to the wall behind him. As he tried to break free, Helen held the bottom end of her staff forwards while threads of lightning began to surround it, feeling their fingers everywhere as she gathered her power. She may not have the brute strength of Matthew or Jack but she had enough strength that she could hurl her staff like a spear which was greatly sped up by the lightning that surrounded it. The staff pinged onto the wall as The Mage moved his head to the right and finally broke his hand free, casting a powerful fire spell that Helen countered with her own ice spell, creating a cloud of steam in the center. The Mage didn't do anything, waiting for another attack when a bright white light filled the cave as her Wings of Light flashed into existence. For one brief moment, time seemed to slow as he watched the dangerous beauty of those wings being lifted wide, and then realized what would happen next if he didn't move. But it was already too late as Helen threw her hands and wings forward, hurling hundreds of 'feathers' at him.

"HELEN! WAIT!" She recognized the voice, quickly stopping the feathers mere millimeters away from his body and teleported to him, pulling off his hood and revealing Jack struggling to free his other hand that was still frozen.

"Why are you here Jack?" she asked.

"I don't get it much myself, but can you get me outta this ice? It's really starting to hurt." For a moment Helen hesitated, not sure if this was a trap or actually Jack but she decided to free him and melted the ice around his hand which she soon found was a mistake as he reached for her neck.

"Fool. The human heart is so easily swayed by just a few words from the person that they trust. Now here you are, duped by the very one who is your enemy and your friend." The Mage said. Even though she knew it not to be the real Jack, she still hesitated in doing what she knew needed to be done: wearing Jacks face was just something that she was having a hard time getting past.

"Forgive me Jack!" she managed to shout through her tight throat and buried every single feather she had been holding back into his body. It was a hard sight to see as The Mage's body was pummeled from so many sides, blood dropping to the ground and spewing from his mouth, but she knew that it had to be done, even if the Mage _was_ wearing her beloved's face. The Mage first stumbled, and then fell to the ground as Helen's wings dissipated while she caught him and held his head in her lap for that last few seconds before his stare became blank and his breathing stopped. Helen closed her eyes as a single tear rolled down her cheek making her wonder; would she really be able to kill Jack if the Black Mage took over him? The questions only mounted as his body dissipated into dust, leaving behind a dark pendant in her lap.

Cold Hearted Olsen

If there was ever a place that Olsen felt more at home, it was the dark hallway that he was sent to. Immediately he was finding the darkest places in the hall to hide and flit from place to place as he made his way through the dark, stopping from time to time to listen to what it was that was out there. His senses tingled, telling his to move in a direction that he didn't think would be right but trusted them as a spear shot into the rocks were he had once been. Fluttering could be heard as six enormous stars came flying in from out of the darkness and struck the rock wall just behind where Olsen was flitting. Just as he was about to recover and begin his own attack, another wave of stars came hurtling towards him.

In a blur his fingers moved as they created seals which summoned the Dark Flare from the ground and deflected the stars that came in. Nimbly he jumped above the star and then shot forward in the direction the stars had originated from with the help of a hex made of Quartz power that quickly faded away. He reached for his Serpent's Coil and drew it across his hand then reached for a small sack of bronze coins on his belt, grinding them around in his hand to cover them in his blood and throwing them, watching as they exploded in the dark. The light that was at first blinding, but it showed Olsen exactly where the person he was fighting was, The Black Mage. Olsen thought for a moment about what it was that he would need to do but solidified in his own mind, the Black Mage had to be stopped even if it meant killing him. With another burst of his jumping hex, Olsen gathered his mana and called up his shadow double, hurling set after set of stars at the dark figure that flitted through the shadows like a cat. Olsen lost him for a moment, but was suddenly forced to spin around as the Mage came at him from behind. Olsen just managed to pull his dagger up and block the incoming blade, making a flash of light burst in the darkness from sparks. Time and time again the flashes of light would appear as each of them charged at each other, blocking stars and daggers until in one swing, brought the fight to a grinding halt; Olsen thrust his dagger forwards for the Mage's head, but in the process missed and hit the hood revealing Jenny instead of the horror he had come to imagine as the Black Mage.

"Olsen! It's me! I didn't recognize you from under that cloak for a second." Olsen eyes dropped as he looked away, taking a few steps back.

"The only cloak I wear is the Crimson Gaia of Fire." For a split second he disappeared, and then appeared once again where he had stood before. Jenny's expression remained unchanged until a flash of light sprinted past her, then sprinted back to where Olsen stood as blood splashed all over the ground, her chest suddenly revealing the hundreds of cuts that ripped her rib cage open. For a few moments, she lay on the ground shaking and jerking, trying to catch her breath in vain until Olsen walked up to her and threw his dagger through her head.

"Don't ever test me as such again." He growled as her body disintegrated and revealed a Dark Pendant that transported them back to the tower as soon as he picked it up. As soon as they were back, Jenny ran to Olsen and Helen to Jack, leaving Matthew alone to think about what it was that he had done in the chamber of warriors until Lillianne came walking up to him and put her arms around him. Matthew was at first surprised, but then extremely relieved when he felt Lillianne's touch against his skin, telling him that he hadn't killed his true love.

"Very well done Guardians. The test that you just went through is something that you possibly will face in the coming battle with the Black Mage. It may have been easier since it was just a simulation, but if such a situation does arise you must do your best to push on and complete what is asked of you, even at the cost of your beloved or friend. So far you have done well, and now we will take you all back to El Nath where the final test for you is waiting." The Guardians and the Advance Masters disappeared in a flash of light while Grendal transported the rest to El Nath so that they could witness the final events unfold, The Guardians resting for a while and given something to eat while they recovered their strength. Just as they were finishing, Cygnus and her knights came into the house along with Aran, Nathan, Aeris and Antonia. Once Aran was sure that they had regained their strength, he stood before them and became very solemn.

"You have gone through many trials, making you into the warriors that you are today. As you know, you have one final test. If you pass this test, you will be granted a weapon unlike any other. If you fail, you must prove that you are worthy of the weapon by defeating your advance master. Only then will you be given your new weapon." Each of the Advance masters then took their respective pupils to a room where a door was closed and bolted shut.

"Grendal, do you think this is a wise idea?" Dances asked, watching the now closed and silent doors their children now stood behind.

"Only time will tell if these guardians are truly ready, Dances." Grendal replied.

"We should believe in them that they will pass. If we don't, I fear that whoever doesn't pass, will not survive." Irena surmised. Eckhart jumped up to the ledge where Olsen had been taken in, and placed a hand on the door.

"They will pass." He said flatly, Jin nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Archer Guardian of Ossyria. There is power here in this world, power that if used correctly can be made to do anything." Rene said, pulling the hood from her golden crowned head revealing her stunning violet eyes. Holding out her hands to Jenny, her tone of voice became fearfully serious.

"Which hand in this room has the ability to wield that power?" Jenny looked from Rene's left, to her right then raised her own hand to make her choice.

"Remember, the instant you choose wrong, you will be in for a fight for your life until you defeat me." Jenny hesitated, reached a few times but then reconsidered her choices: left or right? She only had two choices to make, and one of them would launch her into an epic battle. Which one held the power she spoke of? Each of the guardians was asked the same question with time seeming to stretch into eternity: Right or left? Helen thought it through, trying to find some answer in the question and then realizing that maybe, just maybe, that the hand that was spoken, was another hand. Matthew and Jack struggled: never in their life had they had to think so hard, not even on a pre-calculus test. Olsen continued to think, trying to find the answer by watching Arec's hands, looking for some sort of hint. Outside the masters, the Empress and her knights waited in deathly silence, waiting as time agonizingly passed as if it were frozen. And then the first of them immerged, wearing a big smile on his face as Arec lead Olsen to the floor.

"Master Olsen has chosen correctly." He said with a satisfied smile when Helen came out, also having chosen correctly, followed by Jenny and Matthew who replayed their choice by showing the Advance Masters their own hands, the hand that truly held the power of the world. Jack however still remained in his room. Which hand held the most power? At first he was about to pick Pedro's right since that was the one that held his pistol, but then he decided to go with the left since that was the one that he used for a power punch in a fight, but again that didn't seem right either; which one, which one!? He decided that it would be best just to try for an answer: he reached forwards, ready to touch Pedro's left hand, but hesitated: something in the air made him reconsider his answer before making the final choice. But he pushed it aside and tapped on Pedro's left hand.

"Is that your final answer?" Jack thought about his Answer that was to come next: something in his tone of voice sounded disappointed, almost saddened by his choice.

"No, that isn't. Let me think about it one more time." He said, seriously thinking about what it was that he was going to choose.

* * *

"Urg! What's taking him so long?" Growled Helen pacing back to the right again, almost wearing a path into the hardwood floors of the mansion while Matthew smiled and chuckled slightly.

"Helen, calm down. I'm sure that…" the door to Pedro's room was blown off its hinges as Jack landed and skidded backwards, a small trickle of blood running down his lip. Pedro stepped to the broken door and looked down on Jack as he wiped the blood from his lip and charged back after Pedro. Helen was about to cast a freezing spell, but was stopped by Robiera.

"You can't interfere in this battle. Let them alone." Helen could only watch? That was something she wasn't good at when someone she knew was in trouble. However when she saw the speed and ferocity that Pedro and Jack attacked each other, she was rather glad that she had been told not to get involved.

Loud explosions erupted in the air as the two opponents would collide, exchanged blow for blow, move to another place and exchange more blows. Gun fire and shrapnel would fly as they would try and shoot each other, but still only in brief blurs of motion. Time and time again all that could be seen were quick stills of the two of them when Jack was suddenly hurled to the ground by one of Pedro's powerful right hooks. For a minute Jack just knelt on a single knee, catching his breath as Pedro came back to the entrance of his now destroyed room.

"Are you giving up so easily?" Pedro asked as Jack looked up to him with fire still in his eyes.

"Hardly, I'm just getting warmed up!" He said as a rooster tail followed his footsteps, launching the two of them into another furious battle, blow after thunderous blow echoing through the air while bolts of lightning would strike the ground from time to time as Jack would revert to Hawkeye's techniques and again, Jack was sent sprawling to the ground in the rubble of the room.

"You know that you can't win Jack."

"Yes… I… CAN!" with a scream he opened his mana gates and transformed into the Hyper Fist being that his mana allowed him to be, moving faster and striking even harder than before. It wasn't long until the use of techniques and trying to keep the Hyper Fist going drained him of his mana, again ending with him hurled to the ground.

"You've got perseverance I'll give you that." Pedro said as he watched Jack stand once more, slightly dizzy from being hit and being thrown to the ground so many times.

"Just stay on the ground. You've already got a least a weeks' worth of injuries to keep Helen busy." Pedro taunted.

"I will not quit because I'm injured. I will push on, until I have won. Only then can I say that I am done!" Pedro nodded at his words and smiled.

"Well done Jack you've…" Pedro was cut off midsentence as the air felt strange and thick with static.

"Jack what are you doing!?" Pedro shoutedas he watched Jack take the stance as if he were activating the Hyper Fist again, realizing that he wasn't going to use mana, he was going to use the Crystal Power. In a split second Pedro rushed to him, pulled his arm up and stopped him.

"Don't ever try that until you have mastered the Ultra Hyper Fist, only then can you possibly stand a chance of using the crystal power in place of you mana. You've already proven to me that you are indeed worthy of continuing on your journey." Jack let out a weary breath and bowed his head, nodding. Slowly, Pedro let his arm down and backed away with a smile on his face.

"Now only one thing remains. You must all visit the Sacred Stone of Warriors where you will present the pendant you found when you were sent through the second test, and your current weapon. It will then be transformed into a weapon unlike any other." Skeptically, the guardians unstrapped their weapons and carried them to a large straight edged stone similar to an obelisk with a single symbol glowing near the top and set on a platform made out of the same stone resembling pure onyx. Helen was the first to walk up to the stone and set her Thorns staff and the pendant down on an area of the platform that resembled a seat when a voice seemed to come from the stone itself.

"This staff has seen many battles. It has provided its wielder with many spells, and so it will be accepted in creating your new staff." The staff and pendent floated up from the seat, both transforming into pure light. The shaft of the staff became longer seeming to twist around itself as the head of the staff also changed shape and descended back to the altar. When the light faded, the shaft appeared to be molded silver as if it had been twisted from both ends in opposite directions and the head of the shaft appeared to be made of ivory in the shape of a small skull while three golden feathers hung where the staff and head met.

"This staff, The Ritual of Darkness, has been granted to the Guardian Mage of Ossyria. Use it wisely." The voice said as Helen carefully lifted the new staff from the seat, and was then given her real set of armor to change into brought by the Masters to Mansion before leaving for Ludibrum. Jack was the next to go, drawing his Hades and unclasping his Psychotic edges, placing them on the same alter with the pendant that he had gathered.

"These weapons too have seen many a battle, and have been used to their full extent. But now the Guardian Pirate must have newer weapons, otherwise his strength with shatter them." As with the staff, the Knucklers and the gun both were transformed into nothing but light, and when they settled on to the seat again, the light revealed stiff steel gloves that wrapped around one's lower part of their hand, bracing it while reinforced steel platelets hung from the top of the bracer and protected his fingers from breaking while four large studs protruded from the top of the bracer. His gun had been transformed into a fine looking revolving pistol, with thick gold plating on either side of the handle, wrapping around the cylinder and inlayed into the maple wood handle.

"These new Weapons, the Abyss Revolver and the Beia Crushers are yours to wield. Protect Ossyria well with them." Jack picked up his new weapons excitedly as he too was given his true armor, running into the house again to change. Jenny timidly stepped forwards and placed her bows and pendent onto the seat, watching as they were instantly picked up into the air and already transforming.

"You Archer have seen many things. Even doubted yourself, but you have pulled through, and for that you are given the Crimson Hinkal, and the Gross Jaeger crossbow. Use these to Guard us all." The Hinkal resembled a digital zero in the center of the bow with two golf ball sized topaz gems inset, reaching up and down to claw-like braces where the sinews were tied. The Jaeger crossbow was of a simple slender design, having two bayonets at that front of the handle, while steel tension arms reached back and out to the stock of the body. As she reached for her weapons, Athena walked up to her and handed her the newly finished armor. Jenny looked into her eyes for a moment, and then noticed something was off; she couldn't exactly put her finger on what it was that felt wrong, but there something wasn't right with her mother. Jenny shook her head trying to get the feeling out of her mind, but even as she left, she couldn't shake the feeling. Matthew was the next to place his weapons onto the altar, setting the pendant, the Tiger's Fang and his Neocora down. At first the swords rose and were engulfed in a brilliant light but as soon as the pendant started to glow, the swords were hurled into the air beyond Matthew's sight as the voice emanating from the stone began.

"The swords you have been given have been tested under your strength, and have proven themselves to be worthy companions to you. Now you will be granted weapons that are just as strong as you are." Lightning began tearing through the sky, striking one spot time and time again making the clouds darken until they were nearly black.

"Guardian Swordsman of Ossyria, you are here-by granted these noble swords…" As Matthew looked up, something began appearing from the cloud, and then watched as if fell, end over end until it struck the ground with a solid clang, the blade burying itself into the ground.

"The legendary Sword of Dume….." The sword was nearly 12" wide, looking as though it had been made from a thick solid sheet of blackened steel while the cutting edges shone with a highly polished light, reaching the entirety of the blade from the guard to the point. Near the point of the sword, a section of the blade had been narrowed, and in the center of the blade a long ellipsis had been cut out. Its widest points nearly reaching the outside cutting edge, with the inside edges of the ellipsis sharpened just as the cutting edge while the sheath to the sword slowly appeared from a glow resting near where the sword had punctured the ground.

"…and the Katana of Blood." Another sword fell from the clouds in a burst of flames, sticking into the ground glowing red hot for a moment; A katana no longer then Matthew's arm, but with a finely designed hilt. As the blade cooled, the red glow didn't dissipate like Matthew thought that it would. Instead the broadside of the blade looked as if it were alive, glowing with a mysterious red water-like jewel that moved with hypnotizing radiance, the same kind of jewel being set in the pummel of the handle. Matthew reached for the Katana and began to sheath the sword on his belt out of habit and watched at the sheath of the Neocora remolded itself into the shape of the katana. The sheath itself to the Dume was slightly heavy, making Matthew doubt that he could lift the heavy looking sword. But when he reached grasped the handle of the sword, it pulsed as if it had a heartbeat, bright blue veins reaching down the length of the blade as if it was being filled with some kind of strange blood. And then surprisingly, Matthew was able to lift the sword just as easily as if he had been wielding the Tiger's Fang. Matthew looked back to his father in confusion as he began to explain.

"This sword is one of Four Legendary Swords that defy its own size. When you _alone_ grasp the handle, the sword reacts to your touch and draws on a small part of your mana; doing so makes the sword become much lighter then it appears so that you can wield it with ease, but your enemy will feel the true extent of its weight. The next sword of this caliber that you may wield is the Timeless Claymore. It too is a very large sword, and uses the same principles that this implies, as well as the Soul Rohen that you will wield one day. The last of the legendary swords is the Pyrope Rohen, though no one has yet been able to find said sword." Matthew stared in awe at the huge sword as he held in one hand with ease, swinging though a set of motions and stances.

"What happens if someone else tried to pick it up?" Matthew asked, putting the sword into the sheath on his back, and then suddenly feeling the true weight of the sword once he let go.

"The sword will only listen to you. If you so desire, whoever touches the handle will be able to wield the Dume. Only _you _have that choice. Now go, your true armor is waiting for you inside the mansion." Matthew bowed to his father while he turned and ran inside, eager to wear the lighter true armor that he was promised. And then at last, Olsen presented his weapons to the altar, unclasping his claw and taking his belt off that held the sheath and his dagger and put them on the altar.

"Guardian Ninja of Ossyria, these companions that you have chosen to use are indeed great. But the time has come for greater weapons to be granted to you." His claw and dagger began to glow, hovering in the air as the pendant began to hover and glow when all at once his weapons dematerialized into nothing but pure light, then reformed into a fine black claw and a new dagger.

"These are your newest of weapons. The Onyx Scarab…" The claw had a hard case, covering the top of his hand that reached from the middle of his fore arm to the top of his hand and over his knuckles. On the sides of the case, gold blades protruded from the center of his hand and reached beyond his knuckles.

"…and the dagger, Golden River." Olsen strapped the new Claw to his hand, swinging through a few motions and getting used to the new weight clasped to his arm while he swung the dagger around a bit in his hand, familiarizing himself with the weights and noticing the vial of golden liquid housed in the dagger's handle.

"That there is the venom of the Popae Fish: a potent nerve poison that will kill a man with a minute. From what I've heard about this dagger, twisting the handle will release the venom and cover the blade in the deadly substance." Jin said, Syl walking up behind him and hanging on his shoulder.

"I taught him how to use that way back when." Syl said smiling as Jin handed Olsen the true armor that he had promised him, quickly running back to the house and beginning to change into the fine, much lighter armor.

* * *

With dark eyes, Dragonior watched as their weapons manifest into something more powerful then they first had. He watched as they donned their new armor, watching with special interest as Jenny changed into her new armor, and made his mind wander back to the simple days that had spent in Henesys with his brother and friend Camila before Evan had become the Dragon Mage, and then snorted at himself.

"Someone as powerful as I does not need such thing as love." But all the same, he still missed Camila and her sweet smile. Phoenix walked up beside him and thrummed low in his throat, waiting for his master's command to do whatever he wished, transforming back into his human form and waiting with thick anticipation.

* * *

Mir felt Phoenix transform and wanted to go after him, quickly standing and just beginning to transform when Evan stopped her, forcing a large surge of mana through her body, making her transformation stop.

"Master Evan! We must go! Dragonoir is near the…"

"Mir! We are not going, not while you are still distracted. Even if we were to go, we'd be more of a burden than a help." Mir stopped resisting and looked back at her master in confusion: why was he being so stern with her? He had never been this way before, and then there was the way she had felt towards her master that made her even more confused. Over and over again she would tell herself that he was just her master, but then she would question herself further by her feelings towards Evan. Evan looked hard at her for a moment and then let go of her arm as he walked back to the table he had been sitting at.

"Mir I have no idea what you are thinking. I may be a great mage, but I can't read a person's mind, let alone yours." Mir thought through what it was that she was thinking, and then felt a stirring in her chest, a longing that she had never known before, a longing for…

"Since the day you were hatched, I have often wondered what it was that you were thinking, but now I have…" He was interrupted when Mir grabbed his shirt, pulled him to his feet, and then pulled herself to him and pressed her lips to his. For a moment Evan kept still in stunned silence, feeling the power that swirled within her flow through him making it hard to breathe, feeling as though there were a great weight pressing on his chest from her power alone. Mir pulled away from him slowly with a ragged and satisfied breath, opening her golden eyes and running her hands over his shoulders.

"These past few days have been playing torture with me and my mind. Many times I tried to make sense of what I had been thinking, and why it was that every time that you talked to another human female that my chest would feel hot. But now I know, it's not because you my Master: my heart is the one that has been talking to me. I don't just want you to be the master of my power; I want you to be the master of my heart. Evan, I love you." Evan stayed silent as he processed what Mir had told him realizing why it was that Mir had been acting so strange, realizing that she was confused about what it was that she was feeling and what she was sworn to do as the Dragon servant. Gently he put his arms around her and pulled her in close, whispering into her ear.

"It would be an Honor, to be master of your heart, Mir." He said, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers once more as Mir pulled her wings around them, pressing her body against him, allowing herself to be lost in Evan's embrace.

* * *

The Guardians had just come out of the mansion, admiring their new lighter armor, when Dragonoir burst from his hiding place, Phoenix lowering his head and unleashing a thunderous roar at them.

"GUARDIANS! YOU WILL BE WIPED FROM THE FACE OF…" He was cut short as Aran hit him with a wave of ice, making the both of them tumble into a hill.

"Dragonoir! You shall face me." Aran shouted. Dragonoir growled as he hauled on the reins to get Phoenix back on his feet and Aran took off after him.

"It is better to let Aran deal with him. You aren't ready." Athena said as she came up to Jenny and placed a hand on her shoulder. Jenny looked over at her hand, and noticed that something was strange about it, and then noticed that she didn't have the wedding ring on her hand that she still wore even after her father had died. Roughly she pushed Athena's hand off and stepped back.

"Who are you?" Jenny questioned. Athena got a questioning look on her face, and held out her hand to Jenny.

"What are you talking about? I'm your mother, Jenny."

"You are not my mother. My mother has a ring on her hand. And her hair is a golden grey color." Athena smiled as the others looked over at her with unsure looks when her voice suddenly changed to a man's voice.

"It seems that my ruse is up. I'm sick of hiding as a woman anyway!" Athena glowed for a moment and grew into someone with drooping shoulders and huge arms, dressed in a bright blue cloak.

"I Black Wing agent, Master Disguise. YOU DIE!" he shouted as he swung his fists down. The Guardian's jumped back to avoid being hit, thankful for their lighter armor which allowed them to move even faster than they had before.

"Alright! Time to put what we learned into action! JENNY! JACK! PUSH HIM BACK!" Matthew shouted, drawing his Katana. Jenny's bow began to ice over as her cloak transformed into the stiffening bars on her bow while Jack drew back his fist and launched forwards with the arrow, both of them hitting the man simultaneously. Helen then teleported behind him and released a cloud of poison vapors in his path.

Disguise jumped up and back over the cloud just as Olsen slammed into him, hitting Disguise across the back six times with his dagger and then calling up his Shadow partner, hurling six stars at him throwing him to the ground. Helen teleported to him while he hung in the air and then teleported away from the cloud as Jenny pummeled the cloud with a sheet of arrows that rained down from the sky. For a few moments nothing happend as the cloud of poison cleared, reveling Disguise pinned to the ground, arrows protruding from his back, staining the cloak in bursts of red where the arrows had punctured. Slowly Disguise stood to his feet, wobbled for a moment and then rushed Jenny. Jenny was about to draw a Spine Arrow, but missed the sinews as she reached forwards, reaching for her crossbow instead which ignited into flames and punched Disguise in the chest, pushing him back. Matthew charged forwards drawing the katana and striking him across the chest, first one way, then the other in quick succession time and time again until the Overcharge was fully charged which then was absorbed into his wrist in a bright green seal, then hurled the sword hard in a downward cross, splitting his chest open and spraying blood from the cut. Quickly Matthew sheathed his katana and then drew the Dume, raising it above his head while the veins stood out on the blade.

"You're finished!" Matthew's stance suddenly changed and the sword appeared down on the ground, the air in front of him turned to ripples that came back together with a shockwave that ripped through the ground and tore through Disguise's body as if it were butter.

"MASTER! I, failed you…" he screamed as he fell back from the shock wave. It seemed like the fight didn't last long at all, and they hadn't even used their Crystal Power. Aran landed next to them and placed his hand on Matthew's shoulder, after sending Dragonoir hurtling towards the Mine of the Dead.

"You Five are truly the Guardians. The only time that I have ever seen such a quick battle was with the other Heroes while Minerva still lived. This is the true power that comes from working as one mind." He said as Lillianne came up to him and hugged Matthew tightly, then firmly pressing her lips to Matthew's for a quick moment and smiled.

"I'm proud of you Matthew." She said, when Tylus walked up to him his eyes almost seeming to shine from under the hood of his cloak.

"Wait! Where's my Mom!?" Jenny asked when Mir, Evan and Athena came flying in, ready to fight with a vengeance if need be.

"Mom! Where were you!" Jenny shouted, running to her and wrapping her arms around her firmly.

"Nothing; I was only aware of being left behind in Herb Town when Mir and Evan came to find me." Athena explained when she turned her eyes up to meet Tylus who beckoned for Jenny to come back to the others.

"Lord Matthew, Miss Jenny, Master Olsen, Lady Helen, and Sir Jack: you five have been the finest of any that have come to us for advanced training and learning the abilities of the others around you. Continue on this path, and you shall be even greater masters then your parents. May Minerva guide you on your journeys to defeat the Black Mage." Tylus said before The Guardians boarded Shank's ship, each of the Advance Masters waving to the group as they left El Nath, watching as The Guardians became powerful warriors, then turned to each other once the ship was out of sight.

"They are becoming very powerful indeed…" Tylus mumbled.

"Almost as powerful as I was before Corus drained my mana." mumbled Rene.

"Even though I would rather that Corus didn't need to be killed, he has been too corrupted." Pedro smoothly said.

"And even if Corus were to find a way to get his body back…" continued Arec,

"The evil of the Black Magic has permeated his heart to where not even I would be able to reach him. The only way for Corus to be stopped, is for his life to be taken. I'm sorry Corus for not being able to help you, but you are beyond my reach now." finished Robiera as all five looked to a spot in the sky where the Black Mage watched through his Glass Ball, clenching his bony fingers as he heard them speaking. With a silent wave of his hand and a long hushed hiss from his throat, the ball went dark and the Black Mage forcefully kept himself calm as he sat back in his throne. Eleanor stood by his chair and watched as he clenched his fist, then sensuously sat down across his lap and caressed his face.

"Don't allow yourself to be so worked up. The Infinity Gauntlet is nearing is final completion, and the only Husk that is missing is the Emerald Crystal Husk. Once we have it, all that will be left is to wait for those brats to fully train the crystal's power and then extract it. There is nothing that can stand in your way now." The Mage released his grip and relaxed as Eleanor spoke to him, making the tension in his shoulders disappear, nodding his agreement. Standing up and setting Eleanor on her feet, he walked out of his chamber and to the Gauntlet room. Meanwhile, deep below in the dungeon, something paced back and forth in the dark, yellow eyes trained on the Oblivion Knights as they surrounded Checky.

As if on cue, an reddish-brown haired beauty dressed in green clothes leapt from the dark and began firing arrows from her crossbow as if it were a machine gun, tearing through the armor of the Knights and reducing them of a pile of scrap metal while her pet panther bit into their chief and a few of the Knights, tearing them into nothing and leaving the pile of metal behind. Checky looked up and smiled.

"Belle! How'd you get in here?" the girl ran up to him and shot a Mana Arrow at the stocks and then the chains holding his hands.

"I'll tell you later. Right now we just need to get out. Oh! And I brought your gun… what do you call it again?" Checky laughed as he ran to the Panther's saddle and began slamming together the pieces of a great machine he had been working on, putting the strap over his shoulder, hoisting it off the ground while he tightened a belt around his hips to steady the gun, fed the belt of large caliber bullets into the top and pulled the bolt back hard.

"It's called a Chain Gun." He smiled, rolling his neck as his white hair swayed in the light. The door burst down as even more Knights came barreling through the door.

"You might want to cover your ears Belle." With a heartfelt battle cry, Checky grabbed the rotating handle on the side and began cranking, each of the six barrels turning around faster and faster when the end of the barrels ignited into a hail storm of bullets and fire: they were escaping, now!


	18. Chapter 17: Ghosts in the Mist

Chapter 17: Ghosts in the Mist

The preceding three weeks for The Guardians had been hard and left them all feeling exhausted: not only had they gone through a myriad of training with the Advance Masters, but Matthew, Jack and Jenny had begun training their apprentices while taking them on smaller side missions that only required one or two people: master and apprentice. In addition, Jack had celebrated his 19th birthday, and that the six of them could often be seen walking around the village in pairs, talking long walks into the night as if trying to make up for time that had been lost while they had been becoming stronger.

Early one morning, Helen's eyes shot open; the entire night she had been restless and it wasn't because she was sleeping together with Jack, no this was something else entirely. She relaxed a bit when she felt Jack's embrace around her waist tighten slightly and kiss the side of her head.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Jack asked sleepily.

"I'm not sure; did you feel it too?" Jack nodded with a slow understanding. He too had felt the strange presence that had descended onto Herb Town, the fog almost feeling like it had a presence within it. Something made a small noise at the door of his hut, kicking a small stone on the ground as whoever it was walked up to them making Jack reach back, grab his Abyss and cock back the hammer as he stuck the end into Lillianne's face.

"Whoa! Calm down there, it's just me!" Lillianne hissed, dressed in pajamas and a robe.

"You felt it too?" Jack asked, releasing the pressure on the hammer and rolling out of bed, pulling on his shirt.

"Yes, Matthew and Olsen headed to the edge of the docks to check it out while Jenny and I came here to get you." Jack stuffed his feet into his boots while Helen slipped on her shoes and grabbed both their cloaks, swinging hers around her shoulders and handing Jack his as they ran for the end of the docks where Matthew and Olsen watched the fog filled bay.

"What do you see?" Jenny asked as they came up to them.

"Nothing yet, but I can tell you this fog isn't just from the surface of the water; it's much, much thicker." Matthew replied, looking back at them for a moment before returning his attention to the lake. The six of them stared out over the surface of the water when they heard a fluttering of wings land behind them.

"So, you six felt it as well?" a familiar voice asked. Lillianne turned around to see Aufheben walking towards them, adjusting her wings as she went just as Alden came running through the fog, his head no higher than the top of the puffy clouds even though he had grown.

"Aufheben! How have you been doing? I heard Alcaster has been keeping you busy?" Helen called and she and Aufheben embraced for a brief moment before telling them about her adventures being a waitress at Alcaster's little restaurant.

"You six have been giving the people of Ossyria a lot of hope. Some people have been moving back to the El Nath Mountains with the hope you have inspired…" She was cut short when something sounded as though it were exhaling far out into the bay.

"What was that?" Olsen asked, straining his eyes to see what it was that was out there when a giant shadow cruised into sight in the shape of an enormous ship near the center of the bay. Captain Hwang came quietly walking up behind them, making them all jump as he began talking.

"That is a terror that has been with us for many generations: Captain Norrington's ship, the _Ethril Banshee_. Hundreds of years ago, maybe even before your mother was born Miss Jenny, Norington sailed the waters of Ossyria as a freighter, carrying food and supplies back and forth from Mu Lung to what used to the Victoria Province. For many years he hauled the crates without fail until one day when a thick fog just like this one rolled into the bay. The dock hands urged him to wait for the fog to lift, but he insisted on going, seeming more anxious then usual to get on his way. So against the dock hand's advising, Captain Norington set out as a storm began to brew. Weeks turned to months and no one had heard from Norington or his ship until one young lad discovered the wreckage of the _Ethril Banshee_.

Apparently in the thick fog, Norington had lost his way and crashed into the rocks since the storm had become so bad, killing everyone on board. It was later discovered that he had been secretly supplying a group of plundering pirates who had tainted him in their greedy ways, offering him half of their spoils if they could resupply from his ship. Now every year to the hour, Norington's Ghost as well as his ship appears in the bay with this thick fog as though he is still trying to get out of the bay. The only problem with this is that no one may leave or enter the bay else they will be shot and destroyed by that ship. It has become a symbol of fear her in the Herb Town." Matthew furrowed his brow and looked out over the fog with a stern look.

"Is there a way of getting rid of it?" he asked, turning back to Hwang who only shrugged.

"Many have gone to ascertain that and have yet to return." Aufheben shivered from the way Hwang's voice resonated at a low note, looking out over the water and wondering about all those people that had disappeared.

"We can do it." Olsen suddenly said.

"We'll rid this bay of that ship. Get your armor ready and meet back here after breakfast; we've got dinner with the captain." Olsen said firmly as the six of them went back to their quarters and donned their armor, strapping on plates and slinging belts around their shoulders and hips, finally swinging their cloaks on over their shoulders. Aufheben readied herself by donning a simple set of armor, the Onyx Engrit, which hugged to her figure quite nicely at least in Matthew's eyes which made Lillianne slightly jealous, purposefully bumping into him as she adjusted the belt that held her halberd across her shoulders.

"I'm coming too." Said a familiar voice; Olsen looked up to see Nathan and Antonia, dressed with new armor and weapons, ready to embark on their journey.

"Not on this particular mission. You're not yet strong enough to face this foe." Olsen commented, stepping up to the both of them and placing his hands on their shoulders.

"Then what have you been training us for? Are we just going to sit around this village for the rest of your lives while you're out taking all the good adventures?" Antonia asked, frustrated and flailing her arms as she spoke. Olsen sighed and looked back to Matthew who shrugged.

"Alright, you can come this once. But if you become too much of a liability, then on our next major mission you will be ordered to stay here, understand?" Nathan nodded just as Aeris came trotting up in her new suit, consisting of close fitting shorts, a grey tank top, leather vest, bracers, and slip on shoes while she adjusted the angle slung belt that held her holster across her hips.

"Well, I'm ready finally." Aeris announced when Nathan's face went pale.

"Aeris. What are you doing here?"

"I'm coming with you isn't that obvious silly?" She asked, walking past him and standing next to Jack, crossing her arms and giving a satisfied tilt of her chin to Nathan. Aufheben raised her eyebrow at the growing number of people joining them, especially since those three were nowhere near the power of The Guardians.

"Are you sure bringing them along with us is going to be alright?" Aufheben asked Helen, who shrugged, scratching the top of Alden's head while he lay on Jenny's shoulder.

"Personally I think it is a very big mistake. But perhaps this will show them exactly what it is that they are dealing with, hopefully allowing them to be content in guarding Herb Town when we aren't there." Carefully they boarded the small row boats that had been waiting for them, five in each boat and cautiously set out across the waters to be sure and not hit anything that was hidden by the thick fog within the bay.

* * *

The Mage looked over the damage that had been done to his Dungeon, running his hand over the bullets holes that decorated the walls and looking over the twisted metal of his Oblivion Knights, becoming suspicious of the thousands of bullet shells covering the floor in a brass sea.

"My Lord, there is no sign of them anywhere. Everywhere they went leaves nothing except a trail of destruction." A chief Oblivion Knight said as he hovered over to The Mage. The knight suddenly sounded as if he were in pain when the armored body simply crushed under an invisible hand, making the red cloth-like flame leave the armor into the air while a hissing growl escaped from him. Quickly he reached for his amulet, contacting Bavan with a slight agitation in the whispers that surrounded him when a fumbling sound came from the other amulet attached to Bavan's shirt, the voice coming through sounding as though his mouth was full of something.

"Lord Black, A pleasure as always. So far nothing has happened. The people here have been far more subdued then usual after they heard what happened to their Mechanic, Checky." The Mage nodded to the invisible person, squinting his eyes as whispers were sent through the communicator.

"Yes Milord. Is there anything in particular that you want us to look for, especially with two platoons of Memory Knighs?" Bavan asked, sounding as if he were taking a bite of something. The Mage didn't say anything as he let go of it and returned to his crystal ball where he slumped down into his chair, reaching for what looked to be the bridge of his nose. He still had the other Mana Drills operational so there was no need to worry at the moment, but he still felt uneasy about what the scene was like in his dungeon. Whatever it was that mechanic made, was a force to be remembered and counted. High heels could be heard walking up the hallway as Eleanor came in with a silver platter of her special potion served in a fine challis with her cloak drawn around her while some of the Cornian's watching her as she walked away from them.

"Master, what is it that has you in such turmoil?" she asked, setting the glass down and then pulling her arms under the cloak. The Mage's eyes became a blank and he reached out, leaning down to her to kiss the top of her head before tipping the glass up to his invisible lips before hushed whispers were directed at her

"Me? What could they possibly want to see me in the great hall for?" Eleanor asked. The Mage said nothing as he stared out the window of his castle bowed leaving Eleanor to walk out of the room, curious as to what the occasion was that her students would want to see her in the great hall. The Great Hall was a large corridor where polished white granite floors stretched out as if they were a pure sea of foam, decorated in black granite and onyx chips here and there. Nothing seemed to be happening until small flames tore to life a revealed a long table laden with delectable foods and most if nat all her students surrounding it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISTRESS ELEANOR!" they all shouted, making her at first become defensive and ready to fight until she realized what it was that was happening.

"How did you all finds out about the day of my birth?" she asked sternly. One of the braver students walked up to her with a smile to explain.

"We wanted to show our appreciation of your leadership of the Black Wings. We didn't know exactly when your birthday was, but we did find out that it was around this time." He said smoothly, holding his hand over the pouches and casting a simple spell that drew out the black and violet powders, weaving the two of them together into an elegant, black strapless evening gown that shone with a violet radiance every time she moved, flowing snugly over a figure and flaring at the knees with a slit coming to just below the hip, having a pair of black crystal wings mounted at the bottom of the v-neckline.

"Happy Birthday mistress." He said, holding out the dress as an orchestra faded in somewhere in the background. Eleanor surrounded herself in a transport spell, putting herself into the dress and adjusting portions of it that were a bit uncomfortable with some of the left over powders, then held her hand out as the student led her to the table and 'begin' the festivities In the back of her mind though, small tears wanted to make their presence known as memories of the days with her family and made her smile.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Jin unknowingly ripped out her heart but Athena was slowly beginning to recover from her wound, able to smile for the first time after she had been giving advice to Mir, who often was much more innocent then she seemed.

"_She may be a female, but when it comes to romance she's just a pre-teen._" Athena smiled to herself as she watched Mir and Evan walking through the streets of Herb Town, hand in hand or with Evan's arm around her waist.

"It often makes you forget that she's a powerful Onyx Dragon doesn't it?" Eckhart asked from behind his mask, seeming to appear from nowhere and startle Athena as she sat watching them.

"I can't help but wonder if Evan really knows what he's getting himself into. From what I've come to understand of dragons, their emotions are many times deeper and more potent than any person I've ever met." Athena answered.

"He understands. The question is however, what are you doing here following them everywhere? Every time that I've come into town for supplies, where ever they are you aren't far behind." Eckhart challenged. Athena stumbled through her words, trying to come up with a valid excuse.

"Mir asked me to stay close by incase she had any questions." Eckhart pulled his mask away and shook his head, brushing his black hair out of his eyes.

"That is one of the sorriest excuses I have ever heard Athena. Are you sure that's all it is?" Athena looked up to him and was about to respond to his comment, when the light hit him just right making his dark eyes sparkle while the gold sewn into his cloak shine. Not only that but his facial features were stunning, making him look many years older, but in a good way that entranced Athena.

"Athena? Are you alright?" Eckhart asked, becoming suspicious as she leaned forwards and moved closer to him; it was as if she were a moth being drawn to a light. She couldn't help herself: maybe love hadn't abandoned her, she was just looking for it in the wrong place.

* * *

Maya hadn't been known very well as a child, but she knew of many things even though she had been cooped up in her house for many a day from her illness. However there was one person that she admired, even had a crush on and that was the dark and mysterious Dragonoir. Ever since she saw him come to Henesys, she had wanted to know who he was and most of all, she wanted him to take her with him. So as soon as the illness that she had been plagued with lifted, she began her search for him. One day, just out of chance she came across him resting in the forest as she searched. Pulling the cloak from around her shoulders and dropping it to the ground, she knelt next to Dragonoir quietly: her search was over! At last, she could be free, free from the village, from being sick, from being just a normal girl. Dragonoir woke from his slumber when he felt someone watching him as he rested, turning his attention to the pretty girl with her amber hair tied in long pigtails.

"And who are you?" he asked coldly.

"My name is Maya. And I've always wanted to come along with you, to go far away with you on your dragon." She said as she timidly yet enticingly leaned towards him, resisting everything within her being to not just smother him with her body.

"I am not interested in someone tagging along. Phoenix, get up. We're leaving." The great warrior woke from his slumber as he transformed from his human form into his dragon form with a burst of flames as Dragonoir walked away from Maya.

"Please! Take me with you! I would do anything that you would require! Anything that you desire!" This made Dragonoir stop, thinking through his options: if this girl was willing to do anything for him, then maybe he could use this to drive those pesky Guardians apart. That for sure would at least weaken them a great deal, even if only one of them were removed from the picture. The only question remained on how he could accomplish something like that to make it seem that it was _they_ that were coming apart and not someone pulling the strings of puppets.

"There is one thing that you can help me with." Dragonoir smoothly said as he turned his cold and glowing eyes back to Maya, whose face was bright with a wide smile as she took his extended hand and let herself be brought to Phoenix's back where they bolted into the sky, heading for his cave near where Dragonoir and Phoenix had first met. It would be there; there he would formulate the Guardian's undoing.

* * *

It felt like it had taken ages but the group finally arrived at the ship, quietly tying ropes to the hull of the boat while Olsen nimbly climbed the side and tied the rope to the railing at the bow of the ship, tugging on it once it was secured. As the guardians were climbing up, Matthew was about to give Aeris a boost when Nathan reached out and pulled her back.

"Stay here in the boat." He said firmly pushing her back so that she lost her balance and sat down in the boat before climbing up the rope himself. Matthew jerked his head to the side and once again helped Aeris up the rope a bit before he grabbed onto the rope himself and clambered up, seeing that Nathan and Aeris were already arguing on the deck. Jack was about to go over and separate them when Olsen stepped in a roughly pulled them apart.

"Can't you guys be quiet!?" He hissed in a loud whisper.

"I want Aeris to go back to the village and wait there. I almost lost her once and I'm not going to do it again! It's the only way I know of to protect her." Olsen's eyes became dark and hard as he looked back to him.

"You want to protect her? You can't even protect yourself. What you are doing isn't protection, its imprisonment. True protection is ensuring her safety when something does happen, and then ensure that whatever _did_ happen, doesn't ever happen to her or anyone else again. _THAT_ is true protection!" Olsen hissed, pulling away from him with a firm shove, checking his star supply once more as he and Jenny took point. As they crept along, something began to appear on the deck, looking to be dressed in a white overcoat holding a glowing red lantern mumbling to himself as he walked. Quickly Jenny pushed them back and led them to a stairway below deck, where they would try to go under him to get to the captain's quarters. Helen thought she smelled something strange and walked over to a metal trough that held a fowl smelling liquid within.

"It's Lamp Oil." Antonia suddenly said as she too had come over and smelled the liquid. With a snap of her fingers, Helen ignited a flame on her finger and touched it to the surface of the liquid watching as the flames tore down the length of the trough, igniting their way down what looked to be an extremely long corridor where hundreds of small green eyes turned to them. All of them quickly hid up the stairs, watching them with the reflection from the cutting edge of Matthew's katana.

"Olsen, I need you and Jack to see if you can hurt those things. Something tells me it won't be easy. If you can't hit them, call us and we'll back you up." The two of them nodded as Olsen called up his Shadow Partner and readied his stars. In a quick burst of movement, Olsen was standing in the corridor and hurled the stars he had drawn with a grunt, each of the stars fluttering through the air passing through each of the little green men like wisps of smoke. Jack was the next to come blazing in with gun and arm blazing blue as he cocked back the hammer and pulled the trigger, making the Abyss respond back with a thunderous roar, flames leaping from the end of the barrel and the kickback from each shot making Jack slide back slightly. But each of the little men were completely unaffected by their attacks except for a few who stomped out the fires on the ends of the brooms they carried. In a sudden wave, they all turned and swung their brooms at them, hardly able to avoid the stinging hits as each attack Olsen or Jack unleashed passed right through them.

"WE NEED YOU!" Jack shouted as Matthew drew his katana, Jenny loaded her bow with Alden holding onto her shoulder for the moment and Helen igniting a lightning spell in her hands, Aufheben gripping her sword as it flared into existence and Lillieanne providing cover. The other three stayed back, letting the others find out how to take them on before doing anything when a shadow darkened the stairway where they stood, making them try and stay as silent and still as possible while the large creature that was on the deck stopped by the door. Meanwhile the seven of them tried time and time again to hit the creatures, but failing as each attack went right through them nearly hitting each other until Aufheben attacked with a downward right cross, cutting through the broom that the little creature held. For a moment the creature stopped when the broom broke, the body lost its form and floated up into the sky. Aufheben tried the same thing again on another one and got the same result.

"Guardians! Hit what it is that they are holding!" Everybody stopped and looked at each other, then smiled darkly as they began cutting though and breaking each broom, Aeris, Antonia and Nathan also getting involved as Alden darted here and there, swatting his paws through the dry wood of the brooms. Just as they were finishing, another wave of the creatures materialized from the far side of the corridor. Just as they were all about to attack, Matthew put up his hand and set his sword tip down on the floor.

"I got this. You might want to cover your ears though." Just as they covered their ears, a seal appeared of in front of him accompanied by a second layer and a dragon's head that appeared in the center, unleashing a window shattering roar that instantly vaporized each of the brooms being held by the little green ghosts.

"Well, I think that explains how to deal with anything else coming our way." Antonia said, Jack noticing that Helen was holding her head.

"Babe, you ok?" he asked as Helen suddenly stopped and looked around with a smile on her face.

"Those things we just took care of were the remaining Life Forces of some of the crew members to the ship. The thing that ties them here is the job that they were assigned while alive and the item they used in that job the most, but something in that tiem is holding them here and not allowing then to return to the Life Stream. By destroying what it was that held them, it released them of their duties and thus released them from the hold on their Lives." Alden came trotting up to Jenny, with a piece of cloth hanging from his teeth, chewing on it and pulling on it, rolling on the ground as though he were playing.

"Not now Alden, we'll play when we get back to town." she said, picking him up and setting him on her shoulder.

"So if all we have to do is destroy what it is they hold, then that should make things easier in getting to the captain should things continue this way." Olsen said as he drew his dagger, flipping it over his hand over and over again, catching it in his hand when he heard something from behind the door ahead of them.

"Let's go; Aufheben, I need you to stay near these three just in case something heavy comes along they can't handle. Nathan, I want you to listen to me very carefully. I need you to watch Aeris' and Antonia's back with all you've got. You three right now are your own platoon." Matthew said, all of them nodding in understanding as Jack reached for the door knob with a questioning nod. Everyone readied with their various abilities, and with a nod from Matthew stormed into the next room where a sea of ghosts waited for them. Finally, the group made it through the third and fourth rooms, leaving Nathan, Aeris, and Antonia exhausted completely without mana after trying to stay ahead of the anchor swinging Lieutenant Commanders. The Guardians, Lillianne and Aufheben were still well supplied on mana, not to mention that the Guardians still had the Crystal Power to tap into should they run out of mana. Heavy footsteps however made them stop and watch as a red lantern swayed in the dark when the lamp oil was ignited by Helen revealing the lumbering form they had seen on the deck.

"I am the first officer of this ship. What is your business here?" the enormous ghost asked in a gravelly voice, his sharp teeth clattering and his red eyes glaring at them in unblinkingly.

"We've come to speak with the captain." Matthew shouted as he stepped forward. The Ghost's head turned to him slowly, making him feel uneasy under his blank and freakish stare.

"None shall pass. Any matter can be brought to me."

"Then why is that you will not let anyone pass out of the Bay? They have nothing to do with you!"

"On the contrary: It was the dock hands that sabotaged my Captain's compass, leading us right to the rocks where we were found after one snooping little thief had discovered that Norington had taken on board unaccounted supplies in the previous months, and a list of items requested by the Pirates we had been supplying. They knew of what we were doing with those extra supplies, and so they distorted the Captains Compass and led us right to the rocks. Therefore while we are here, no one shall leave or come! To ensure that duty was met before we met our end, the captain performed a spell and tied our Life Forces here."

"This madness ends here and now! It's been hundreds of years since you died!" Helen shouted when the Officer raised his arms up and screamed loud.

"THE BLOOD OF THE ONE'S WHO BETRAYED US STILL LIVES! THAT BLOOD WILL CEASE TO EXSIST. With the addition of your lives to the crew, my Captain will have enough strength to set foot on the docks and end the blood line of those who have wronged the captain!"

"You won't be absorbing any more lives here! I'm sending us into Mana Overdirve!" Matthew shouted as he quickly aligned the mana frequencies, each of them activating their various skills, attacking with a brute force. Jack was the first in, his body quickly igniting into golden light as he hit the boards of the floor exploding with a shockwave which was easily dissipated by a swing of the officer's lantern. The officer drew back his fist and hurled it forwards, only to be met with Matthew's iron wall. Jenny suddenly jumped over the wall pulling back her arrows, taking aim hanging in the air from Olsen holding onto her. For the moment that the Officer's attention was on her, Matthew lowered his iron wall allowing Helen to quickly draw a simple seal in mid air that summoned a holy dragon hovering in the air for a moment before it bombarded the officer with hurricane force. But it was soon dispelled allowing Helen to call up her Wings of Light, the force of impact from the feathers driving the officer back far enough that Jenny could then unleash the powerful arrow, shock waves rippling from the tip as it went.

"Is that_ ALL_ you have to… OOF!" the Officer was cut short as he tried to speak after blocking the feathers of Helen's attack then hit with the mortal arrow that slammed him into the wall. Matthew took a deep breath as the Mana overdrive dissolved, each of them feeling slightly tired but nothing that they couldn't handle. The officer lumbered up from being knocked to the floor, swinging his lamp madly around when Jack lunged forwards. Dust on the floorboard caught in his wake and flung into the air as he drew back his fist, bright threads of lightning flowering from it as he made his move for the lantern. He watched in surprise as his hand passed right though it as though it were a part of the officer himself. Caught off guard, Jack found himself flying back after being hit square in the chest, straight into Matthew who skidded to a stop after catching him. Olsen swung down from his hiding spot, dagger drawn and a spare kunai from his belt that he always carried, just in case. With blinding speed, Olsen disappeared for a moment, the wind around him becoming a bright aqua colored whirlwind as he went, suddenly reappearing as he skidded to a stop. The officer looked down at his coat suddenly seeing the three long tears in it, becoming frantic.

"THAT'S IT! HIT HIS JACKET!" Olsen shouted as he rushed forwards with daggers drawn. Helen and Jenny stayed back, using their attacks to drive him back as Jack and Lillianne helped by using their inhuman strength to do the same while Olsen darted here and there to keep him too occupied to concentrate while Alden would jump and tear small pieces of his jacket off. Matthew sheathed his Katana and drew the Dume with the blue veins glowing bright against the dark. Concentrating for a moment as his cloak suddenly attached to the cutting edge in large serrated teeth, the sword suddenly roared as flames tore up the blade and lit the surrounding area in a bright light.

"NOW!" Matthew shouted. At the same time, Helen released her Sacred Arrow and Jenny released her Spine Arrow, striking the ghost in both shoulders. Olsen and Lillianne rushed him from behind as he reeled from the force of the arrows, suddenly falling back as his feet were kicked forward. Jack appeared above him and landed a strong hit on his chest, slamming the officer into the ground. Just as he struggled to sit up Matthew came charging in, sword ablaze as he swung through his jacket with a small seal appearing on his wrist with each strike until he finally gathered all the orbs into himself, the fire on the blade turning dark as he swung straight down and split the jacket in two, hitting the boards hard enough to make the ship lean and sway.

"I apologize captain! My service was not to your liking." The officer gurgled and hissed. Just as Matthew sheathed the Dume, the officer's jacket flared into bright flames and collapsed to the ground as his ghost left the clothes and diffused into the air.

"That's one more problem dealt with finally. Nathan, how are you guys holding up back there?" Olsen called as he looked back. Aeris leaned against the wall still catching her breath from the previous room's fights, tiredly picking up her arm and putting up her thumb.

"Aufheben, watch over these young ones for us. We will go on ahead to the captain. I'm not sure what will happen when we defeat him, but I want you four to be at least able to run." Helen called as she was the last up the stairs back onto the deck and standing before the ominous double doors crowned with what looked to be an enormous helm's wheel, sporting a large lever beside it at the stern of the ship. Just as Jack was about to lay all his weight onto the lever, the other four that had been below deck came up, Antonia speaking for all of them.

"We don't know how much help we can be without our mana, but it'll be a cold day in hell before we let our masters go into this fight without us at least _trying _to help." Jack looked back to Helen who shrugged as she smiled and shook her head.

"Alright, just try and stay safe." Jack said as he jumped up on the lever and pushed it down, throwing the doors open. Inside was an ominous glow that seemed as if it were breathing, hanging in the air like it was a slow moving underbelly of a snail. Slimy moss hung from each of the rafters inside the cabin while sea weed hung from the broken glass window at the back of the ship. Near the center of the room was a desk, covered in dark red barnacles and dotted with small patches of blue coral. Olsen kept his guard up, waiting for the captain to appear but it seemed that he was nowhere to be seen. Aufheben was the last to come inside the room when all at once the door slammed shut and locked, a huge lock on the doors turning to an upright position, while the glow that was in the room slowly began converging into one place just in front of the desk. It began creating the form of one lone figure dressed in a long black overcoat with golden rope shoulders, a hat, wide enough for his head and rolling upwards as it narrowed in both directions and white gloves upon his hands when a raspy and dry voice spoke.

"Young guests… I am dropped into a Riddle. There I were, resting in my cabin. And upon a sudden, I am awakened by the unkind sound to my chamber. What be that, my first mate?" Silence hung in the air until whispers from mid air arose all around them, indecipherable as they drifted around the Guardians. But the Captain knew what they were saying, and his cold and glowing white eyes opened on in the blackness that seemed to be his face where a thick yet well trimmed white beard obscured his face.

"Yes my first mate, it seems we do have a pest problem. Now we all know what it is that happened to said pests. On this ship, pests DIE!" As he spoke, he crossed his arms and then shouted with a loud voice, hurling the group against the front wall of his quarters. The captain was about to scream once again, and just before the wave hit, Helen crossed her arms to make a giant cross made of holy light appear digging into the wooden floor and preventing them from being smashed against the wall. Olsen looked up after regaining his focus and growled, disappearing and flitting from place to place as hot pink hexes would burst into existence as he jumped from place to place finally appearing just above the captain with his fist engulfed in pink flames in the shape of a small ghost.

But just before Olsen was going to hit, the captain jumped into the air, turned around and reached behind him pulling a large revolver from his belt while pulling back the hammer. The gun responded back with a loud rumble as a cloud of smoke appeared around where Olsen had been a moment before. When the captain landed everyone stayed still for a moment, not sure if Olsen was still alive or not until the smoke cleared, it revealed Jack, holding up his on gun with smoke trailing from the end of it.

"You really should warn us the next time you're gonna do that, Olsen." Jack said, blowing of the end of his gun and holstering it, all the while having a sly smirk on his face.

"Well, you know. I have to have some way of keeping you on your toes." Olsen smirked. The captain became enraged as he rushed forwards only to be met with an earth wrenching punch in the gut, sending him flying backwards. Helen Teleported before the Captain as her Wings of Light erupted from her back, glowing bright violet as they spread wide. The captain was about to take advantage the momentary lull as her wings fully developed by gathering first a white flame in his right hand and a black flame in his left and then smashing them together above his head making a flash of light appear momentarily leaving The Guardians confused when nothing happened. Helen released her attack, feathers flying in and tearing holes in the captain's jacket, followed up by Matthew rushing in with a heartfelt scream swinging his Dume down hard across his jacket tearing a large hole in it from the serrated edges catching the jacket. Matthew was about to swing again, but the sword suddenly felt extremely heavy and the veins weren't glowing on the blade as they usually did. Matthew jumped back, leaving the sword there since he couldn't move it as Jenny grabbed a handful of four arrows and drew them against the sinews. But when she let them go, every arrow suddenly shot in every directing accept straight. Jenny looked at her bow for a moment and then tried drawing a spine arrow, but as she pulled the sinews tight nothing appeared. Helen tried casting her triple claw, but again, nothing happened. Olsen tried and tried as hard as he could to create a Shadow Partner, Jack tried to open his mana gates to unleash the Hyper Fist and Lillianne tried to charge her push beam, but none of them could do anything.

"Ha ha ha ha. You cannot defeat me on this ship! For I have sealed your mana, and you can no longer use you precious gifts!" The Captain laughed as the tears in his coat repaired themselves while he slowly drew his cutlass and raised it above his head. Something that looked to be other ghosts were drawn to the blade making it glow a sick blue color. With a mighty swing the sword came careening through the air parallel to the ground when the sword suddenly stopped. He looked back to see what it was that had stopped him, seeing an iron wall made of some kind of red energy.

"What be this? Do my eyes place me in bewilderment or are you using your mana? !" the captain asked as Matthew looked up to meet his cold gaze.

"It's not mana, IT'S YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!" Matthew shouted as the Ruby power within him shot up in a column of red flames. His body suddenly beginning to glow a strange color followed by Helen whose body at first flared in bright violet flames which then changed on both of them into a dark violet-red flame. Olsen's body flared in hot pink flames and then changed color to lavender, then into a cherry color as Jack's body was engulfed in red flames and then blended again with the other flames, making the room begin to shake and pulse as Matthew continued to push through the Mana Overdrive by combining the crystals instead of pooling mana. Jenny's body was the last to erupt into flames as her crystal's power was added to the mix, turning the flames around their bodies into a dark evergreen color, almost black.

Lillianne could only stand back, awed by the pressure that she felt from the power emanating from her friends: it was almost suffocating. As if the guardians had become light themselves, their movements were blinding, not able to be seen with the human eye as they streaked through the room: Jack first grabbed the captain by the collar and drug him away from the book case while plunging the blades of his Knucklers into the captains face, breaking his jaw away from his face. The captain spun across the floor as Helen stopped him with a wall of flaming gears and then sent him flying across the room with a blast of a plasma bolt, Jenny stopping him dead in the middle of the room with a powerful arrow made purely of fire.

Ghosts again were drawn to the blade as The Captain raised his sword, stumbling to his. Jenny grabbed for her Crossbow just as Matthew appeared before her, swinging his sword hard across where his gut would have been as a seal appeared on his wrist, pushing the captain along the floor leaving scorch marks where his feet had slid. That one move provided Jenny the space needed to pull the trigger of the crossbow and hit the captain with a bolt covered in ice. The captain looked up just as the bolt was about to hit, making him freeze in a strange position in a block of ice, sharp spears pointing back from the direction he had been hit. But no sooner had the ice formed then the Captain broke free. Olsen's cloak transformed into his fire blade along his claw as he readied for an attack when the captain looked as though he were readying for a burst of energy from his body. With a forceful spread of his arms, a shower of energy hit the floor of his cabin. For a moment nothing happened and then skeletons began appearing from the floor, climbing up from invisible graves, each of them holding a bomb with an ignited fuse filling the room completely.

"You Humans may be strong, but even you can't avoid being hit by 30 of my skeleton soul bombs!" the captain laughed as the fuse began crawling down to the ignition. Olsen gritted his teeth as small wings first appeared on his heels and then exploded into enormous phoenix wings. For a brief moment, Olsen disappeared while flashes of light appeared on each of the bombs, and then Olsen skidded to a stop. Each of the skeletons looked at the bombs in their hands completely confused since each of the fuses had been cut off or snuffed out. Helen then slammed the end of her staff into the floor with a small flame atop it which flew around in a large circle as a seal appeared in the middle of the circle, then shrank in size until it was too small to see. For a moment nothing happed when a blazing hot light erupted from where the circle had been before while the floor under each of the skeletons erupted into a blast of flames, sounding as if a blowtorch had been ignited. The Captain then charged in anger at Jack who caught the swinging blade between his hands, struggling to push it back.

"THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED ME SHALL PAY FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE!" The captain shouted as Olsen crouched below Jack and drew his dagger.

"Not Today!" he shouted as he reached up and hit the captain square in the chest with his ghost fist, making the Captain stumble back, unable to focus. Jenny pulled her bow back, wind gathering around her Spine Arrow when Jack hurled his fist directly at him, sending him backwards, right into the arrow that tore through his jacket and leaving a giant hole. Helen concentrated her magic into the area that had been opened and flung an Ice spell into the hole just as the tear closed, freezing him from the inside out. Matthew took a breath as he dissolved the Overdrive when each of them were suddenly starving for breath as the effect of the Overdrive hit them. Matthew slowly reached for his knap sap on his belt and pulled a small bottle of Orange Peel potion from it, taking a quick swig instantly calming his breathing and heart, allowing him to walk around to the rest of them and give them a mouthful of the potion.

"Ok, let's not do that again for a while." Jack laughed, still trying to catch his breath, but not as much as before. Matthew nodded as he went to the others and gave them to a mouthful of potion, then walked up to the Captain as he stood in a frozen statue and fused to the floor.

"So now what? Are we done?" Nathan asked as he walked up behind Matthew.

"I doubt it. The only way we can get rid of these ghosts is if we hit what it is that kept them here. But each time we hit his coat, it repaired itself as though it were him." Olsen said as he held his chin.

"What if it's not his coat but his hat that's holding him here?" Aufheben asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it. Jack, do you want the honors?" Jack nodded as he tightened his Beia and suddenly ignited into a golden light, able to feel that the seal on his mana had been released. Just as Jack was taking a stance to strike, Antonia noticed something reaching up from the floor. Running forwards and pulling Nathan back, hands suddenly grabbed The Guardian's feet and pulled them to the ground face first. The captain broke free of his ice prison while his skeletons held them down, unable to move and knocking Olsen's dagger from his hands, the Captain positioning himself beside them.

"Nice try, but you will NOT DEAFEAT ME!" He raised his sword above his head aiming for their necks after the hands had lined them all up. Suddenly his sword rang as Aeris' bullets ricochet off of the blade, and Antonia's arrow struck his hat, taking from his head and pinning it to the wall. The Captain was just looking back to see where the attacks had come from when Nathan's spear was hurled through the Captain's hand, pinning it to the wall as well. Olsen took advantage of the opportunity and kicked off the Skeletons holding him down and grabbed Matthew's Katana, rushing up to the hat and striking it so many times so quickly, that he looked like nothing more than a blur cutting up the hat into hundreds of shredded pieces, finishing by igniting the pile of bits with his Claw Blade form of his cloak. The Captain just laughed as he reached up and pulled the spear from his hand, throwing it to the ground then opening and closing his hand as the wound closed and picked up his sword.

"You honestly think that the captain hat was my weakness?" He asked with a growl as the hat reformed on his head and he picked up his sword once more.

"_It's his sword!_" Lillianne thought. She pushed off the ground hard and swung hard a few times at the shining blade until cracks began to appear in it and then in one hell bent scream she used every last ounce of strength she had and hit the sword, shattering it and sending splinters of metal everywhere. The captain stared blankly at the broken blade for a moment before turning his head up and laughing heartily.

"HA HA HA HA! WRONG AGAIN! AH HA HA HA!" The captain could hardly stand straight from laughing so incredibly hard as the sword reformed from ghosts that gathered at the hilt. In a blur of movement the captain swung at Lillianne. She tried to block the swing but the thunderous blow stunned her to such a degree that her arms and hands burned as she was thrown back against the wall, all the while the captain was still laughing hard. Jenny put her head to the floor in defeat and then heard something sound as if it were running into the room, like little paws pattering on the floor. Looking up she then saw Alden still having the piece of cloth in his mouth, and still acting as though he were playing with it, rolling around on the floor and then batting it from one paw to the other. The Captain suddenly stopped and looked back at Alden with fear stricken eyes as he caught sight of what it was that the celion was playing with.

"Give me that you little rodent!" He shouted as he reached down. Alden got up on his feet and made a mad dash between his legs behind him as the captain turned around, chasing poor Alden all over the cabin, swinging his sword or blasting at him with his gun.

"_It's that fabric._" Helen thought to herself, activating her healing spell which obliterated the skeletons holding her down.

"EVERYONE! GET THAT FABRIC!" She called, activating a Sacred Arrow and ridding her friends of the skeletons, allowing them to get up. Olsen passed the Katana back to Matthew who ignited it in flames, Jenny's arrow was set ablaze while Jack charged a thunder punch and Olsen again activated the flame blade form of his cloak.

"Alden! Get it in the air!" Jenny shouted. The captain cornered him, making Alden growl and hiss, still holding onto the fabric in his teeth. When the captain lunged for him, Alden jumped onto his back and jumped into the air, turning his head and releasing the fabric into the air as the Captain turned around and reached out for the piece of fabric. Jenny let her arrow go which pinned it to the wall, Helen released her fire arrow which sped up is burning process. Matthew ran up and smashed his sword through the center of it, Olsen ran up and quickly reduced it to scraps and Jack finally finished with a hard punch to the wall turning whatever remained of the piece into ash. With each attack that was unleashed onto the piece of fabric, the Captain acted as though he were being hit, jerking from left to right, holding his chest and breathing with a wheeze. Just as the fabric was completely burned up, the captain reached his hand to the sky while his eyes began to get brighter.

"CLARICE!" He shouted as his Life Force left the coat, leaving behind the beard and mustache as the sword fell to the ground in a clatter that seemed almost louder than it should have been.

"Did we beat him?" Aeris asked. Just as Helen was about to answer, the ship began to rock from side to side, the boards under them began to buckle and break with the windows that remained shattering.

"THE SHIP'S BREAKING APART! WE'VE GOT TO GO NOW!" Screamed Aufheben. All of them turned and began running for the bow, while ghosts of the ship tried to bar their way. Matthew had just enough time to grab his Dume and Nathan's spear before the floor of the cabin buckled and broke, revealing a black nothingness below.

As fast as they could, the Guardians, Lillianne and Aufheben cut through the ghosts blocking their way as they cut a path through to the bow, all the while the ship's deck breaking and falling away into the black nothingness that was below. They all climbed down to the boats and began rowing away from it when Aufheben noticed that Matthew wasn't among them. Looking back she saw him, still fighting off ghosts as the stern of the ship began sinking into the water, lifting the bow high into the air.

"MATTHEW!" With each stroke of his swords, more ghosts fell by the hundreds when they had to cover their ears from an air splitting roar disintegrating the ghosts surrounding him. In one mighty effort, he pulled himself to the now vertical bow and stood in the center of it and jumped with everything that he had towards them. Aufheben took off to catch him, but just before she was about to reach him, a giant tentacle reached up from the waters between then while a loud aquatic sound rose from the depths.

Aufheben was about to try and move forwards around it when another, and another, and another arm sprang from below until the ship was completely surrounded by the sickening green tentacles. Aufheben hung her head, looking as though she was about to cry when a flash of sacred light began shining from between the arms and a hole was suddenly blown through one of the arms as Matthew leapt from the hole with spear and Dume in hand. Aufheben quickly reached out and caught him just before he hit the water, and then hugging him tightly, despite the slimy green blood that covered him from head to toe while the shouts and hollers could be heard from his friends riding in the boats. Aufheben then flew back to the dock while the rest of them rowed to safety at the docks where Captain Hwang and the masters waited for them as the creature sank into the depths with the ship in tow.

"You lot are reckless; going aboard that ship and not even seeing if you could find out anything about it? Not to mention that you brought along your apprentices! They could have been killed! On top of which you just barely escaped being pulled into Davy Jones' Locker by that horrendous creature of his!" Shouted Kyrin, flailing her arms with fire in her eyes before planting her hands firmly on her hips and staring at all of them hard. Jack undid the clasps of his Beia and tucked them under his belt as he tried to explain.

"Mom, we just…" He was interrupted as Kyrin ran to him and wrapped him in her arms, her voice breaking slightly as she spoke.

"I'm just glad you made it back in one piece." She said, releasing her grip and holding him back from her while she laughed at herself and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"It looks like you're not the little boy that I once knew. Just tell me the next time you guys dare try something that dangerous." She said.

"That goes for us too. We may not be like your Grandfather, but we need to know that our little girl is going to be ok." Helen's Parents, Greg and May interjected as they walked into the circle, making Helen chuckle and nod. Just behind them, hovering above the water, a lone figure appeared in the fog glowing a strange blue color. Helen was the first to feel the presence and quickly drew a Sacred Arrow, making the rest turn around and ready their weapons when the figure put up its hands.

"Whoa whoa, stop! I'm not here to fight you; I'm here to thank you." The figure was dressed in a sailing uniform with a single medal hanging on the left of the jacket. He was bald, with the only white hair on his head protruding from the sides, and sporting a two piece mustache that curled at the ends with a light scruff on his chin.

"I am captain Norington, and I want to thank you for releasing me from that prison. For many, many years I had served Ossyria in delivering supplies to the Victoria Provence. But during one of my sailing journeys a note was sent to me from a man by the name of Sekron. He was a ruthless pirate at the time, and found out what my rout sailing and schedules were, wanting me to bring him supplies for his entire fleet of pirate ships. As leverage to keep me from straying they had taken my wife Clarice as a hostage. Only when their needs for supplies were met would he give her back and as proof, sent me a piece of her dress which was the fabric that you had. However, his demand for supplies only grew, and so I was never reunited with my wife. I kept the piece of Fabric on the wall of my ship to remind me why it was that I was stealing these supplies. But soon my heart began to turn against the people of Ossyria, and I too became a slave to greed, secretly going out on pirate missions of my own when I was on return trips from Victoria. On my last voyage, I had agreed to meet up with Sekron for the final delivery of supplies which would give me my wife back.

But on that fateful day, one of the dock had had found a list of supplies that I was to deliver to Sekron and played with my compass. Since there was a thick fog that day, I could only trust my compass to guide me out into the sea. When we had found ourselves nearing Mu Lung harbor, it was then that we found out what had happened and dropped anchor to wait for the fog to lift so that we could set our compass right and leave. But fate was against us that night as a storm blew in and tossed us right into the unseen rocks of the bay. I had been pinned under a mass of timbers of the ship and so with my dying breath, I swore that I would find the one who had done this to us and end them myself, binding everyone's life to this ship until I fulfilled that declaration. But those words were of a greedy and self centered pirate, the person who I had become and not of myself; I never did find out who had distorted my compass." He turned from face to face with a smile on his own, nodding to each of them after a slight pause.

"Again I want to thank you for freeing me from the man that I was and the curse I had placed upon myself. Thanks to you, I am reunited with my beloved Clarice." He held out his arm as a woman's figure appeared beside him and kissed his cheek. With a wave from the both of them, the two ghosts floated up and into the air while the fog that hung in the bay cleared, revealing the sparkling waters below.

"So tell me what happened! Don't leave out anything!" Kyrin suddenly asked, as they all walked back into town, laughing and talking as they went.

* * *

Dragonoir finished the last of the giant hex that covered the floor, one of six hexes that covered the walls, floor and ceiling of the house that the old woman had taken him into when he had wandered into the Leafre mountains.

"So what will this do? It seems complicated." Maya said as she watched her idol in awe as he made the hexes.

"These will allow me to influence any person or any amount of people I want into doing whatever I want. In this case, I want to tear people who are close to each other apart." He answered, as he slipped the chalk he had been using into his sleeve.

"And who will we be influencing?" Maya asked, walking up to Dragonoir with her hands behind her back.

"First, I need to find something in one of the people that I can lock onto, such as a small doubt or even a question on their own mind, and I have been watching a certain person very closely."

"How? All this time you've been making those weird circle thingies." Maya protested until Dragonoir smiled and shook his finger.

"I have powers to do so. Once that is done, the other person is easy, which is where you will come in."

* * *

After the drilling about his expedition on the Pirate ship, Matthew walked into the woods where he drew the Dume and began cleaning it, wiping away the dust that had gathered on the blade, as well as cleaning his armor, washing off the green gunk that had dried from cutting through the creature's tentacles. As he washed off the blood, the thought of Aufheben hugging him shot across his mind: why was he thinking about that? A sharp jab of pain suddenly shot through his head. Pressing his fingers into his temple for a moment, the pain dissipated making him forget about Aufheben and then returned to cleaning his armor.

* * *

"There! That was easier than I thought it would be. Now it's your turn." Dragonoir said as he held his hand out to Maya and led her to the very outside of the floor ring directly across from where Dragonoir had stood.

"Alright, what do you want me to do?" She asked, raising one of her eyebrows.

"Nothing, just stand right there. You're going to feel a bit strange but don't worry, that will pass." Dragonoir replied, facing his palm to her and mumbling a spell under his breath.

* * *

Aufheben had taken off the armor that she had been leant for the mission aboard the ship and once again donned her breezy pink dress, walking through the village and stopping here and there, admiring some trinket as her mind drifted back to when she used to the same thing with Dunas from time to time. Oh how she missed him: and then her mind played back the instant she had hugged Matthew and how for a brief moment, even though he was covered in slimy blood, he smelled so similar to the way Dunas used to smell before his injuries required so many prosthetics. Something like a small headache rolled through her head, making her shake her head and causing the feeling suddenly disappear.

"_That was strange._" She thought, and put the trinket back as she walked out towards the edge of the village.

* * *

"Good, the spell has taken root. Now stay there, and don't move a muscle." Dragonoir instructed as he walked to the other side of the ring then pulled the cloak from his body, revealing a man who was the epitome of what a young woman's dreams would be. Maya for a moment almost wanted to run at him and just smother him, but she fought it off and stayed where she was.

"Now, hold out your hand to me and when I take a step towards you, you take one towards me. Focus everything, all that you feel towards me. I am Matthew, and you are Aufheben." Maya had no idea what those names meant, but if this was some sort of kinky role-play then she would play her part as best she could.

"Alright, Matthew." Maya said in a breathy voice. The hexes glowed brightly, surrounding them in dark red light as the Hex came alive, the two of them taking their first set of steps making a pressure suddenly build between them, then slowly fade into nothing.

* * *

Aufheben wandered from what seemed like an hour, walking out of the village and through the hills where she picked flowers and sewed them together with blades of grass. Suddenly she found herself just a few feet away from where Matthew was sharpening the Dume and honing the Katana.

"Aufheben, what a coincidence: I was just thinking about asking you to come with us to dinner." Matthew called, looking up from the sword and wiping his brow.

"Oh no, I probably need to get back to El Nath and help poor old Alcaster out." Aufheben protested, holding up her hands for a moment.

* * *

Simultaneously, Dragonoir and Maya took another step, the same pressure rising and then fading away between them.

* * *

"Oh I see. Well that's too bad. I thought it would be just a way to thank you for helping us out on the ship, at least for keeping the others safe for us."

"That was nothing." Aufheben laughed as she walked closer to Matthew, watching him as he moved along and polished the edge of the Dume with each stroke, strangely mesmerized by his movements.

"Matt, could you teach me a few moves?" she asked from nowhere, covering her mouth suddenly. Matthew stopped in mid-stroke and looked back at her.

"Where did that come from? You're already a Master Swordsman aren't you?"

"Yes I suppose you're right; I don't know where that came from." Still she had this strange feeling in her chest welling up. Was it because his and Dunas' scent were so similar?

* * *

With another step, Dragonoir and Maya's hands met, the pressure becoming twice as strongas before for a moment, then dying away once again but making them take another step when the pressure suddenly seemed to reverse itself.

* * *

Aufheben tried to fight the feeling she felt, but no matter what she thought, it was as if she were overtaken with Matthew. It had been so long since she had seen Dunas, felt his arms around her, looked into those eyes of his.

"Matthew, I…" Matthew looked up from his work, taking a second look as the light that reflected from his sword shining up onto Aufheben's face, suddenly feeling intensely enamored by her , but quickly tried to dismiss the thought as he went back to his swords once more.

Aufheben wanted to be embraced by Dunas so badly that she walked up behind Matthew and put her arms around his chest and held onto him tightly.

"Uh, Aufheben. What are you doing?" Matthew asked, but somewhere in the deepest part of his mind, he rather liked the feel of Aufhenben hugging him, the ample swell of her bust pressing against his back.

* * *

It had taken less time than Dragonoir had predicted, but he found himself putting his arm around Maya, wait no, Aufheben's lower waist and pulling her closer to him as he slowly leaned down to her, Maya slowly standing up on her toes to meet 'Matthew's' lips.

* * *

"Just… I'm sorry, but I've felt so alone these past few days. Just let me stay like this for a bit." Matthew chuckled as he set his file down, pulled Aufheben's hands from his chest and turned around while holding her shoulders. Why he felt the way he did he had no idea, going with the feeling and pulled Aufheben close to him as Aufheben closed the gap and met his lips with her own, putting her arms around him and pressing herself further into the kiss.

* * *

Dragonoir lightly kissed Maya, quickly pulling away and deactivating the hexes but leaving Maya standing in the middle, entranced by the flood of emotions that swirled in her head. SHE had kissed Draongoir. She had KISSED Dragonoir. SHE HAD KISSED DRAGONOIR! The thought ran through her head again and again as she began spinning in the room. Dragonoir meanwhile stood outside and watched in entertained bewilderment as Maya spun and danced inside.

"Women…" He laughed and put his cloak back on as his body once again took on the wispy, smoky form. Now all that was left to do was watch the poison he had introduced into the friendships intermix and slowly pull The Guardians apart.

* * *

Aufheben slowly pulled back away from Matthew and looked him deep in the eyes when she felt someone's gaze staring at them. She turned and saw Lillianne standing before her with a stunned look on her face and tears stinging her face.

"Matthew! How could…" Matthew turned to her and suddenly realized his arms were still around Aufheben and quickly pulled them back.

"Lillianne, I…" Lillianne unclasped her halberd and dropped it to the ground next to the ice-cream cones she had bought and ran, on and on until she found herself standing on a hill that overlooked Mu Lung as the sun set.

"_Why? Why was Matthew kissing Aufheben!? What was going on?_" Was everything that she had developed over the months with Matthew just a lie? Suddenly Jack came stumbling out of the bushes walking up to her and tapping her shoulder.

"Hey, you ok? I saw you run by and…" Lillianne was so upset and confused that she wasn't thinking straight, and grabbed Jack's collar, holding him still as she kissed him firmly when Helen appeared from a teleportation spell.

* * *

Eckhart put his hands on Athena's shoulders and pushed her back before she came any closer.

"Athena, look. I know that I'm close to what you saw in Jin, but I still think that it is too soon for you to try and move into another relationship." Athena backed down and nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"It's alright. I've been on my own with Jenny for a long time now, so I think I can manage." Eckhart sighed and shook his head as he cursed himself

"_Great going there genius! _Look, Athena, I'm just awkward around women. Maybe we can just take it a little slower?" He asked, sitting down next to her, bumping elbows and smiling to her. Athena's face seemed to light up as he sounded as if he wasn't abandoning her altogether.

"How many dates have you had Eckhart?" she asked. He snorted as he looked away.

"I joined the Empress' core when I was just 14, and before then mine and my sister Oz's life was a constant battle for survival. I haven't really had much of a life outside of that. I'm 25 now." Athena smiled then leaned over and gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"Well, for starters, this is what most people would call a crush. So for now, we'll go slowly. Meet me for breakfast tomorrow morning alright?" Eckhart nodded, as he got up to leave, then turned around and kissed Athena on the cheek, put on his mask and jumped into the air and over the buildings. Athena smiled: This was certainly going to be interesting.

**For a small peak at Eckhart's and Oz's life before they were Knights of Cygnus, check this out - ** s/9655042/3/The-Guardians-Chapter-X


	19. Chapter 18: One Can Never Be Too Sure

Chapter 18: One Can Never Be Too Sure

In the dead of night, a cold feeling that he never dreamed he would ever feel again seeped into his room, as if someone had set a giant block of ice on his chest. Grendal wearily swung his legs to the floor and pulled on his robe, stepping outside of his sleeping quarters looking north to the El Nath Mountains along the path that led through the Forest of Death where an ominous red glow hung over the trees like a sunset soaked in blood. In that very spot was where he and his two best of friends had discovered a forbidden spell, and where Grendal's greatest mistake caused the suffering and obliteration of an entire village.

"_Someone is trying to undo the seal! Whoever it is must be stopped._" Quickly he ran inside, grabbed his hat and staff, and quickly began flitting from place to place as he Teleported when he heard something following him. Quickly he stopped and hid, turning around and unleashing a powerful spell of sacred energy at the shadowy figure following him who dodged and fell to the ground.

"Easy there Grendal! What are you doing out at this hour?" Dances asked as he brushed the leaves from his shirt and adjusted the jeans he was wearing.

"I've felt something that I haven't felt in over 150 years Dances. I must go and ascertain the meaning of it."

"Then I'm coming with you old friend." Grendal smiled as the two of them headed off into the night towards the red glow.

* * *

Dragonoir kept trying as he pummeled the seal with his own magic over and over again. Whoever had set this seal was definitely an expert in such spells. Now that Maya had helped him in tearing a few of the Guardians apart, it would only be a matter of time before he could easily kill them because the serious mistrust among them. Maya slipped down from Phoenix's saddle, the braids in her hair undone allowing her golden hair to sway in the slightly chilly breeze like a cloud. She no longer dressed in the drab green and white dress that she had worn for so many years. Now that she was no longer confined by her sickness she wore what she pleased, wanting on some level to be Dragonoir's student: her new clothes consisted of a dark red Halter corset and long flowing skirt of the same dark red with a golden rose hair pin tying back her hair on one side. Dragonoir stopped his assault when the skin on the back of his neck felt cold, whirling around to see that the Black Mage was standing before him, his tattered robes flowing ominously in an unseen breeze.

"Well if it isn't the Black Mage himself." Dragonoir replied back with a condescending tone. Uptight whispers hung in the air around them for a few moments, sounding as if he were holding himself back. Dragonoir snorted in arrogance.

"Plans? What Plans? All you've been doing for the past nine months is recovering your mana and building some giant machines. If you're going to destroy Ossyria, go ahead and do it already." Dragonoir challenged as the Black Mage shook his head, taking a ragged and forcefully calm breath as entertained whispers rose from him. Dragonoir's eyes narrowed, looking The Mage in the eye with hatred making The Mage's eyes simply smile, knowing that he had touched a sore spot.

"Never, call me Utah. That man is long dead." Dragonoir growled. The Mage only challenged Dragonoir by turning his head downwards as if giving him an apologetic look.

"I will surpass you!" The Mage just shook his head in disappointment as Dragonoir growled.

"What? You and I are the same! We both use Black Magic and we both have surpassed the need of a physical body!" Dragonoir argued, when Eleanor appeared beside him and laughed her amusement at his arrogance.

"The rift that exists between you and The Mage is far greater than that. Your body is merely surrounded by the aura that is Black Magic. He _IS_ Black Magic. For you to say that you will surpass him is nothing short of a joke. Your experience with Black Magic has been ten, perhaps fifteen years at best, and all you've managed to do is change you and your dragon's appearance. It takes many more years, decades, centuries, millennia before you can make such a threat to The Black Mage; not just a quick peek in a spell book. I will ask again; stop your interfering with our plans."

"Or what? You're going to kill me? That won't be of any loss since I have nothing to live for!" The Mage only shook his head more as Phoenix began to wheeze and choke.

"PHOENIX!" Dragonoir shouted, realizing that The Mage was using his power to choke his dragon.

"Let him go!" Dragonoir demanded. The mage narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip around the dragon's throat, hissing his demands through angered whispers

"Why? And what do you need those pesky Guardians for anyway?" Dragonoir pressed, his only response being that of The Mage tightened his grip around Phoenix's neck even further, forcing him to revert to his human form, but still grabbing at his neck as though trying to get the hand away from it.

"Alright! I'll stay away from your precious Guardians." Dragonoir finally agreed, looking away from The Mage and his overpowering gaze. The Mage immediately released his grip as his eyes smiled, both him and Eleanor disappearing in a wisp of black smoke. Dragonoir stood shaking with rage, trying not to let it show too much especially now that Maya was following him around. Grendal and Dances both waited in the bushes just out of his sight, wanting so badly to deal with The Mage right then and there, but his presence alone filled the both of them with so much utter and insuppressible terror that neither of them could do anything until after the Mage left.

"What now Grendal?" Dances asked, turing to Grendal as the color began to come back into his skin.

"Dragonoir may be Utah who lost his way, but he is still a threat. He must be stopped here and now: if left unchecked he may become our next nightmare." Dances nodded and counted down with his fingers as the both of them burst from their hiding spot and charged at Dragonoir.

* * *

Lillianne slowly pulled her head off the pillow as she sat up, her hair hanging limp in her face and her ice blue eyes no longer having the same sparkle in them. She reached up and rubbed the black and yellow bruise on her cheek where Helen had slapped her so hard that it made her jaw hurt after she had kissed Jack. Why were Matthew and Aufheben kissing? What was it that Aufheben offered him? Was there something that she had done in the past that had made Matthew begin to look to other girls? She was just so confused, and then there was what Helen said that kept rolling around in her head like a bad ache.

"_Are you trying to break us apart?_" The look in Helen's eye at that moment was pure anger and almost hate towards her. With a heavy sigh, Lillianne pulled on a pair of her favorite ice white jeans, a snug shirt and her favorite sandals, then walked out of her hut. Olsen and Jenny were the first people she saw who waved and smiled to her making her lose all control and run into the forest as low hanging branched slapped her in the face, stinging against her bruise. She finally stopped somewhere and sat down on an old broken down log just thinking over what had happened in the past 16 hours when she heard the ringing of Matthew's sword cutting through branches, grunting with each swing making the ground shake slightly with each hit. Lillianne crept up to just outside of Matthew's field of vision, when Jack walked into the circle, his hands in his pockets and his head down.

"Hey, I heard what happened." Jack said as Matthew huffed, stabbing the Dume into the ground and sitting down on a log taking a long drink out of a bottle of water he had brought.

"Tell me who hasn't." Matthew retorted, taking another drink of water and wiping the sweat from his face.

"Do you know what happened?" Jack asked as he took the bottle that Matthew offered him.

"To tell the truth, I have no idea what was going through my head. It's just like at the very moment, I was completely focused on Aufheben; nothing else mattered." Jack nodded, handing the bottle back to Matthew.

"Well, Helen's mad at me too since after she broke Lillianne and me up from a surprise kiss." Matthew looked over at Jack with a hostile light in his eyes.

"She kissed you? Well isn't that great!"

"What? She took me by surprise! How was I supposed to know that she was going to do that?"

"At least you could have stopped it! But instead Helen was the one who broke you up, not you!"

"Hey! I'm as confused at you are! Don't pin all of this on me!" Matthew walked up to him and slugged him so hard that Jack went flying into a tree, breaking the trunk in half and throwing the top half to the ground.

"Don't lecture me! Just go back to the village before I become serious." Matthew growled as Jack gut up on his hands and knees, wiping the blood from his lip and rubbing his swollen cheek. He wanted so badly to run up behind Matthew and just smash his skull in, but that would only fuel the situation they were already in. So he just stood, brushed off the leaves and walked back to town, head pounding with an immense headache. Lillianne just turned around and began walking in a random direction, any way that would take her away from Matthew: she didn't want to be near him at that moment.

Helen was walking through town when she saw Jack wobbly walking back to his hut with a swollen cheek and dripping lip. She shook her head at herself and ran after him, walking into his hut just as he was bent over the sink in his hut, washing out the blood in his mouth while trying to cool the burning in his cheek.

"Here, let me help you." Helen said as she came over to him and held her hand over his cheek, slowly healing the bump that had grown. Even though she was still mad at Jack, she couldn't stand seeing him hurt.

"How'd this happen? Did you go see her again for seconds?" Jack laughed and shook his head.

"I tried talking to Matt, and he gave me this." He said, looking away from Helen as she healed his wound and began walking out of his hut when she turned around.

"I'm still mad at you by the way." She said finally when Olsen and Jenny rushed by her to the edge of the village as were some of the soldiers that had returned from guarding the perimeter. She looked over to see what it was that people were rushing to and saw Dances supporting Grendal as they walked back into the village, both of them badly hurt, cut and bruised.

"What happened to you two?" Jenny asked as she supported Grendal on the other side, walking him further into the village.

"I felt something strange about an old thorn that I had dealt with many years ago, my old friend Richie. Dances and I went to go see what it was that was causing it, finding The Black Mage and Dragonoir talking." Grendal coughed, holding his side and slowly healing the six broken ribs on his right side while Dances continued.

"We were just about to attack Dragonoir when the Black Mage returned; apparently whatever business he had with Dragonoir wasn't finished. We tried to do something against him but his power permeated the air making us freeze in fear. It was only a few moments, but The Mage reduced us to what you see here: we were no match for him."

"Then WHY didn't you wake me to come with you guys? I could have at least landed a hit." Kyrin said, slamming her fist into the opposite hand after she came running up to them and heard the last bit of Dance's tale.

"There was nothing that you could have done Kyrin. Even in your Ultra Hyper Fist, you wouldn't have been able to so much as touch him." Grendal said with a short tone. Kyrin shook her head as she walked back to her station, guarding the western wall of Herb Town's boarders.

"Pray tell what this old thorn of yours is?" Helen asked as she came over to them and began slowly healing his wounds and bruises as another of Grendal's younger apprentices came up beginning to carefully and slowly heal Dances. Before he could answer something came flying in to them and landed wearing a red cape. The creature's skin was ashen color with large deep blue eyes set wide on its ellipsoidal head and a small yellow pompom-looking growth hanging from what looked to be a thick hair on the top of its head. For a moment it looked around at them, then spotted Olsen and Jenny, bowing to them as though they were royalty when everyone began looking around as a voice spoke in their mind.

"_Hail to you humans of the land of Ossyria. My name is Gtul, a Zeta Officer of the Grays. I have come here because our Chief Elder, Dwote has requested to speak with the one's known as the Guardians about a danger that threatens this peaceful place._" Olsen looked around, seeing only Helen and Jenny other then himself. He had no idea where Jack, Matthew or Lillianne for that matter were.

"Right now, there are only us three here: Helen the Guardian Mage, Jenny the Guardian Archer, and myself; Olsen the Guardian Ninja." Helen shook her head as Olsen looked back to her.

"I must stay here. There are things that I can learn about possible future enemies that we might have." Olsen nodded and was about to agree to going with Gtul when Jack came walking up with heavy steps on the wooden pathway.

"I'll go too. It'll give me a chance to clear my head." Jack grunted, eyeing Helen for a moment as he strapped the Beias to his hands. Helen turned away and shook her head: Jack could be such a pain sometimes. Jenny held out her hands and Alden came and jumped up into Jenny's arms, purring and rubbing his head against her chest.

"_Very well. Olsen, Jack and Jenny, I shall take you to the Chief Elder. Masters, please give the others The Elder's and my regards._" Gtul thought to them. With a focus of energy in Gtul's long slender hands, the four of them disappeared into thin air.

"Grandfather, please answer my question: Who is it that has been such a thorn to you?" Grendal took a breath and began his tale, thinking back over the long years.

"The only one who might remember this or know of it would be Athena, but I too used to be a young person. 150 years ago at the age of 17, I used to have two friends; the best of friends. We were so close that the three of us were sometimes mistaken for brothers, and we all were committed to searching out and training in the ways of magic, even though we were all still very inexperienced yet young scholars. Richie was outgoing and a master of getting us into situations when summoning creatures or trying spells that were too powerful for him. Reef kept to himself sometimes, but he was the thinker for all of us, reading through spells and making sure that he understood them fully before even attempting them. And then there was me; the eager over achiever of the group, always trying to one up my friends, being beaten and then coming back with another powerful spell I had learned, all while the three of us lived in a small mining town where the Forest of Death now resides called Qetik. We studied hard, often coming across legends of Minerva's Book of Spells where power untold was said to be stored, even spells that would bring back a person from the dead. However it was also said that particular spell was considered forbidden because of the unknown random sacrifice that it required to complete it.

And so we searched while we studied when we came across a book that would change our lives forever. Back then we were in search of power and only that, so when we found this book and found that it contained spells to control the human Life Force without sacrifice, we studied for days finding out the finest points of the spells. By this time we had already thoroughly learned healing spells, and so we figured that we would be able to help those who had been buried in the mines by not only healing their wounds, but bringing them back to life as well if they had died. There were very few cave-ins, most of which only consisted of injuries and in the rare case that a cave in involved fatalities; we were able to revive them with no problem. Sometime after those cave-ins, we were trekking through the El Nath Mountains when we heard a tremendous explosion.

It wasn't long until we had teleported to the top of the mountains that over looked the town: the mining team had unknowingly tapped a high pressure pocket of natural gas which ignited from the sparks of the mining equipment and sank the entire town, leaving nearly 10,000 people dead. We had just returned from studying Time Magic with Alishar, but had only learned how to revert objects to their former glory. All three of us worked together in using what we had learned to restore the town to what it was, but the toll that it took on our bodies to restore that amount inanimate objects was great: Richie's body was accelerated in age, making him look almost as if her were a skeleton, Reef's back was struck making him hunch over and my hair turned white as I aged nearly 20 years. The town was restored, but the people living there were still strewn all over the street, every one of them having horrendous wounds. It took hours, but we managed to heal their wounds and bring people one by one back to life. However for Richie, it took too long for him since he couldn't find his love Asilia among the crowd.

"I'm going to revive everyone at once. Maybe then Asilia can be found." He suddenly announced.

"Richie don't! You'll be killed from the strain on your body!" I told him, which Reef confirmed.

"I don't care. Besides, I've found that if I constantly hold this spell book, I won't die during the spell. The only way I can find her is if I do this, with or without your help." Reluctantly, Reef and I helped him with the town wide spell, and brought everyone back to life. However we only provided Richie with the extra mana needed to perform the spell on this large a scale. He was still the center of the spell itself and the toll it took on him was massive: the all of his flesh had been turned to ash and the lower half of his body and turned to dust, leaving him hovering in mid air with nothing but a skull for a head and the arms of a skeleton with his Life Force still attached to it, covered by his favorite robe that Asilia had given him for his 19th birthday.

"Richie? Are you alright?" Richie lifted his arm and looked at it, slowly turning to us with empty eye sockets. It was a horrifying sight, but yet we didn't want to run since he was our friend and risk hurting him.

"What have I become?" he asked. Quickly we took him into the old abandoned house we used as a study hall to keep the people from running in a terror stricken mob when they began to awaken. We stayed that way for weeks, Reef and I going out from time to time and talking to the people, even finding Asilia and bringing her to see Richie, which she took surprisingly well. Everything seemed normal until one day Richie began acting strange, almost as if he weren't himself speaking in short angry bursts to no one while turning pages in the book that he still held. Reef went out and the first person that he came across was Asilia. He called to her, but she was just a shadow of herself: her normally life filled eyes were dull and sunken, and her expression was jemotionless. When Reef asked her what was wrong, she lunged at him, tearing at his chest screaming:

"LIFE! I LONG FOR A LIFE!" Later that day, others began acting in the same way, chasing us through the streets screaming that they wanted a life. We tried to get Richie to come with us, but he wouldn't move from his sitting place as he continued to mumble and yell, leaving him as we ran trying to get out of the village. But each turn we took led us into more people screaming that they wanted a life. Just as we turned down a street, we ran into Richie.

"Come, we must leave this place!" we called as we ran towards him and the empty street behind him until we were suddenly flung to the ground.

"You are not going anywhere!" he said, his teeth clicking and clattering as he spoke.

"What are you talking about? We must flee! Whatever it was that we have done, it is coming undone! We must leave at once and seal this place!" Reef said as I helped him up. Richie only laughed.

"That is where you are wrong! I have awakened an army of undead! Each of them unafraid to die, and when they are killed are easily revived! Your life force with be the first of many to fuel my army, so that there will be an endless number of times that they can be brought back into service! I will rule eternally!" We fought off his minions, the undead of the village with tears in our eyes as we also fought off Richie's relentless death spells. Again and again we tried to overcome him until at last Reef and I managed to seal him away in a wall of ice; only then were we able to get out of the village and seal it away, keeping the now semi-decomposed bodies of the residents inside the area which we renamed The Forest of the Dead to remind us of our mistake. Reef and I later discovered that the book we had found was called the Bible of the Corrupt: an ancient spell book of the Black Wings who had followed the Black Mage before he was sealed away, containing every spell there was in manipulating the human life force.

It wouldn't be until nearly 60 years later that we discovered Minverva's book of spells which told that the revival spell that had been found wasn't a true revival: Yes it would recall the Life Force back to the body from the Life Stream, but the pull on the Life Force would eventually pull it back into the Life Stream and leave the body to wander until it simply rotted away. With the loss of our friend, Reef and I continued searching out spells and knowledge to expand our ever increasing library.

It was in Ellinia where we discovered a treasure trove of magical knowledge and fairies, some said to be direct descendants of Minerva herself. For days we asked them if we could train under them, constantly trying to find a way into the giant library said to be hidden in the center of their small town. We soon learned of the fairy's affinity for shiny objects and soon were allowed into their city, searching through book after book, learning spell after spell and training with some of them in order to perfect our abilities. It was then that we also found a way to restore our bodies through a modified version of the Healing spell we had learned called reversal magic, allowing us to get our bodies back to the right age. During our learning, I discovered that Reef had been in a way dating one of the fairies: A stubborn one by the name of Arwen.

Time and time again the two of them could be seen going through the small city practicing magic or arguing about a way to do a certain spell. And then the day came that we discovered Black Magic. Reef at this point had fallen behind me in his training, being more enamored by Arwen then in the magic he was studying. When I discovered Black Magic, I tried many times in experiments to use it, but with every experiment I found that there was a great darkness growing in my heart, becoming more and more difficult to control with every use. Eventually I stopped using it altogether in order to purge the darkness from myself. Reef ignored my warnings and began researching on the free roaming Lupin Monkeys, allowing him to permanently bind the Life Force of the Lupin to the body after it had died and bring it back to life. Eventually he moved on to creating the Doll Lupin that he named Faust, painting his room in powerful seals and hexes that only Minerva should have been allowed to paint.

Eventually, the ceremony was complete and he initiated it, sending a pillar of black light into the sky which looked almost like a small version of when The Mage had been resurrected. Once the Doll was complete, he then went to show Arwen, but when he did the doll rose out of his hands and began to try and take control of her. In panic, he cast a powerful black magic shielding spell which ultimately destroyed him, vaporizing him on the spot. The doll became enraged and sought out a new host, eventually attaching itself to a Lupin making it into a huge slave that terrorized the village. Once I was aware of this, I went and destroyed the only thing I had remaining of my friend. To this day Richie has been sealed away in the Forest of the Dead, but Dragonoir was tampering with the seal to try and free him. In a way, I am thankful to the Black Mage for stopping him, but I am also ashamed to admit that I was unable to do anything in his presence." Helen smiled as she healed the last of Grendal's wounds and sat back.

"I see… Well I know we'll be ready for him should Richie escape." Grendal smiled and nodded as he stretched while he sat up, patting Helen on the head.

"Yes my Granddaughter, I know you will be. I know you will be."

* * *

It felt like an eternity, but it was really only a few moments until the three of them were standing in a grassy field over looking what appeared to be a battle field.

"_This place used to be quite beautiful, but we had to defend it against the Mateon._" Gtul's voice said in their heads as Alden jumped down from Jenny's hands and began curiously sniffing the ground.

"What happened here?" Jenny asked. Gtul just shook his head.

"_I will let the elder tell you that._" He thought to them as he led them through the desolate grounds: craters and charred areas covered the ground, some spots still smoldering from plasma fire or bombs. As they walked, other Grays could be seen walking and repairing the damage done to what looked to be living quarters.

"_The Grays that live here are our working rank, the Barnard. After a few years of training they are moved the rank of Zeta, which is my rank, who are taught to fly. Zetas and Barnards work closely with one another since the Zetas are the Mentors to the Barnards._" They walked for another few minutes where they passed through an area less damaged and with finer living arrangements. Other Grays that came out of the living quarters were dressed in what appeared to be a turtleneck cloak which was decorated in gold veins throughout the blood red cloak.

"_Here is where our higher officers, the Ultra reside. After many years, the Zetas are trained and eventually the antenna on the top of our heads transforms into a star, allowing us to have much higher range of communication. The Ultras and the Zetas are just as close in their work since the Ultras are also mentors to the Zetas: my personal mentor's name in Hekigo (HE-kai-goh). And then there are the Elder Grays, the Highest of rank and the oldest. The oldest of them who is the current Chief Elder is Dwote who you will be speaking with._"

"You mean, thinking with?" Jack asked with a bit of a laugh in his voice.

"_No Jack, you will be speaking with him. The humans of the Omega sector felt much more at ease when Dwote learned how to speak as they do._" The Zeta led them up a great pathway leading to an enormous ship, the metal etched with the alien's language which had a strange purple hue to it. For almost 20 minutes, the four of them walked through hundreds of corridors until they came to a massive chamber, where one Grey sat seeming to meditate in front of a large orange colored crystal.

"_Dwote, As you requested, I have brought the Guardians to you._" the Gray picked up its head and stood to its shaky legs, reaching for the staff that lay just a short ways away from where he stood, using it as a cane to walk. He looked just like the other Grays, except for the large gold star painted onto his forehead and high collared cloak that sported fine gold trim.

"Thank you Gtul, you may return to your duties." Gtul bowed and left the chamber as the Elder came walking up to them slowly.

"It is a great pleasure to meet you Guardians, but from what I understand there are six of you. Where are the other three?"Jenny lowered her head and shook it.

"The other three at the moment are having some, personal issues." She answered.

"Oh that is a shame. You'll just have to remember this and tell them later; walk with me." Slowly the Chief led them into a peaceful chamber with a small table which was set with four cups of a steaming liquid that resembled tea where they all sat.

"This is what you humans call tea, but on my planet it is called Geruuk. As you are probably aware, the Grays are not from Ossyria. We came to this place five years before the Black Mage rose again. Back then it was a peaceful place to be. At first the humans here thought us to be a race of aliens who had come to take over Ossyria. That couldn't have been further from the truth, which the humans here such as Dr. Kim came to accept. We were actually fleeing from our planet from the two greatest threats in all the universe: The Mateon and the Visitors. In all actuality the Mateon are a peaceful race of explorers, but that is what makes them the most dangerous race of creature, second only to the Visitors. The Mateon descend to a planet and begin to study it. Unfortunately the way they study a race is by absorbing any one creature into themselves, gathering what information they can from the subject and then absorbing the body as nutrients. Once they have completely studied a race, the entirety of the planet's inhabitance is wiped out. This destructiveness is what we Grays were running from; the Mateon will not attack until they feel a threat to their survival." Dwote looked down to his small cup, swirling the liquid around for a moment and taking a drink before continuing.

"The Visitors are a destructive race focused on one thing; conquest. They will go to a planet and kill every indigenous inhabitant and then colonize that planet in their name, the majority moving on to the next planet. We received word from our military outposts that when we had left our planet running from the Mateon, the Visitors came and glassed the planet leaving nothing, not even a speck of dust or ash. A few years after we came here, we learned that the Visitors had sent scouts out in search of what other planets were capable of; they even had the power to jump dimensions. One of the scouts came to your home planet of Earth. They would abduct a select few people and study them for their battle potential and return them where they were found, leaving the dimension and reporting back to the mother ships." Olsen laughed as he shook his head in disbelief.

"What is it Olsen?" Olsen couldn't contain his laughter and burst out with a hard belly laugh.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just that I think one of the people you say had been abducted was our Sherriff from our home town. I always thought he was just crazy, but I never imagined that it actually happened. So why didn't they attack us?" Olsen asked.

"It's because a few of the people here were abducted and examined, one of which being a young girl by the name of Korin. When the scout from your planet returned, they found that Ossyria had ties to your world, and thus conquering Ossyria was key in attacking your world. However with our help, and the unification of the entirety of Ossyria, we were able to destroy and defeat the Visitors and prevent the attack on your world. The only thing that remains is something that we are all referring to simply as, The Cube. Our best scientists and the Human's best are working together to try and find out what exactly this cube is capable of. So far the only viable option that we both have found is that of using the Cube as a power source for all of Ossyria. Currently we are working on running power lines to the rest of Ossyria and should have the whole system operational by the end of the year." Jack nodded his head as he took a sip of the tea: it tasted something like lemon bubble gum.

"It very interesting to hear your history, but that can't be the only reason you called us here. Usually there is always a secondary reason we are summoned to any one place." Olsen said, raising one of his eyebrows. The chief nodded as he took another drink of his tea when his face lost all expression, speaking gravely.

"The Mateon have come here. Some of them have been here since the beginning of Ossyria, hiding among the creatures of this place as air breathing Octopi and in the form of a toy that the residents of Ludibrum have called Blocktopuse. They communicate telepathically and with their encounter of the Visitors, have sent out scouts to survey and determine whether or not a place is safe enough to explore. A year before the rise of the Black Mage, the Mateons came here in a small vessel, containing no more than about 1,000 of them; each of them are heavily armed, carrying solar energy pistols. But that is not the most frightening thing: with them, they brought a powerful machine called the MT-09. In order to stop this frightening machine, we built our own mechanical warrior to stop it code named Zeno. At first we sent Zeno as a spy, to watch what it was they were doing.

It was discovered that during the Mateon's exploratory missions of the area they had landed in, they found a viable power source for their machine since the MT-09 required massive amounts of fuel. What Zeno managed to see was that this substance was of a green crystalline nature, giving off powerful readings of energy that maxed out even our most advanced of sensors. Under orders, Zeno tried to destroy the MT-09, but in the video we saw that machine was nearly unstoppable, able to out maneuver Zeno as if it were a small child or a slippery eel despite being nearly the same size. However, he was swiftly defeated and only managed to come back in pieces. The Mateons I fear will begin their assault on Ossyria soon with the MT-09 as the flagship if we don't stop them. It is because of this crystalline fuel they are using, I thought it best to call you."Dwote explained, looking around eagerly at each of their faces, and then absently watching as Alden lapped at some of Jenny's tea.

"Is there some way that we can see the footage that Zeno caught of that crystalline substance?" Jenny asked.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Olsen asked. Jenny shrugged as she petted Alden.

"I hope not, but if that thing is the last husk we could be in ALOT more trouble then we think."

"Why is that Jenny?" asked Dwote.

"If I can see what it is you're talking about, then I think I can give you a definite answer." The chief nodded as he held his hand over the table while a holographic image came up over them, sporting knobs and dials which the elder scanned through and pulled up the video that Zeno had gathered. Jenny sadly nodded and sighed heavily after watching the small clip.

"Chief, that crystal appears to be the Emerald Crystal Husk, a container if you will for its true power. Some of which may have remained in the husk, allowing the MT-09 to be powered."

"What sort of power are you talking about?" asked Dwote with keen interest. Jenny stood to her feet with a serious look on her face.

"Allow me: this is one of my more powerful of attacks, called the Spine Arrow. By using Mana I can create an arrow and launch it instead of using an actual arrow." She said, demonstrating by pulling the sinews of her bow and creating an arrow that lit up the room with a comforting blue glow, making the chief nod in understanding.

"And this is the same Spine Arrow using the power that was stored within that husk." The bow suddenly roared into a huge tribal design as an arrow appeared, humming loudly and making the air thick with static.

"The residual power they have obtained is only a tiny fraction of the power that I hold within my body. These two here also are in a similar situation: Olsen having the power of the Pink Quartz and Jack having half of the Ruby Crystal's power." The chief nodded his understanding as the explanation became clear.

"I see. My, this is a much more dangerous situation than I first thought. Could you three eliminate the MT-09 without the others?" Jack nodded as he cracked his neck and knuckles.

"I have no doubt that we'll be able to take that thing on. Besides, we've been steadily learning how to control the crystal's power in place of our mana. Not only that, but we've faced some pretty tough foes already." Jack said, smacking his fist into his palm.

"That may be true, but we need to go back and get our armor first. After that if you can lead us to the closest point, we'll be able to take it from there." Dwote nodded and held up his hand as an Ultra walked into the room and bowed

"_You called Elder?"_

"Ah, Kizong, I'm glad to see you: if you could please take these guardians back to their quarters to retrieve their armor and then escort them to the Boswell plains. They have accepted in defeating the MT-09. We will be right behind you with a force of our strongest Ultra and Zeta once you have defeated the machine." The Chief said, as Kizong nodded and held out his hands, transporting them back to Herb Town where they ran to change into their armor, leaving with their new friend as soon as they were done.

* * *

It had been at least a few hours since Lillianne went walking away from Matthew as he trained in the forest but she still felt a pang of loneliness creep into her heart: there had to be some reason behind why Aufheben would just do that to Matthew. Not only that, but she was from a different time and she knew how they ended up. So why would she want to tear them apart? As she walked she came across Helen who sat meditating on a small hill overlooking the Herb Town. Lillianne tried to say something, but everything that she thought of escaped her, leaving her groping for words until she finally gave up and just sat down next to Helen.

"So, what did you come here for?" Helen asked with a slight tinge on anger in her voice.

"Helen, I don't know what it was that I was thinking, but I want you to know that I'm sorry for what happened. I was just so confused and hurt at that moment."

"It seemed as if you enjoyed it." Helen growled back, stopping her meditation and looking over at her.

"To be honest, I didn't." Helen shook her head and turned back to the sunset, pulling her knees up to her chest and just watching the sunset when she caught sight of Evan and Mir flying through the skies practicing their spells.

"Tell me, would you try something with Evan?" Lillianne asked. Helen looked away in a bit of shame as her eyes became dull.

"I really don't know if I would. Not to mention that Mir would probably tear me apart if I did." Helen laughed a bit as Lillianne chuckled.

"You might be right about that. Listen Helen, I want to apologize for whatever it is that happened."

"As do I." Aufheben said suddenly, landing just before them and sitting down on the other side of Helen.

"So what excuse do you have Aufheben? Did you just want to experiment?" Lillianne asked with a hostile tone.

"No, I mean, I don't know. It was as if I wasn't in control of my own actions but at the same time I was, it was so strange. I come from a time where you and Matthew married and had children, and I knew that. But still it was if something was pulling me to him against my will." Lillianne didn't feel much better after what Aufheben said, but the trust that she had put in her was badly beaten and broken, so how was she supposed to just forgive her?

"Lilli, I know this may seem like the worst thing to do, but you should talk to Matthew. I've been hanging around him since we were kids, and I can tell you that he is just as confused as you are." Helen suggested almost wanting to kick herself for giving that kind of advice. Right now she just wanted to wrap her hands around her neck and just choke the life out of her.

"I'm not sure Matthew would be in a listening mood." Lillianne mumbled when Aufheben blurted out an answer.

"Then spar with him. I've spared with my sister Oberon when things were unclear to me and often had an entire conversation with her without saying a single word. It works, trust me."

"Is that what you did before you kissed Matthew?" Lillianne shot back. Aufheben closed her eyes, holding back the urge to send her flying.

"Just try it, you might hear something." Lillianne huffed as she got up and walked back to her hut, watching her halberd with a blank stare and replaying Aufheben's suggestion of sparing with Matthew in her mind; it made her wonder what it was that Matthew would really say. In a quick moment she dressed in her battle armor and grabbed her halberd as she headed out the door, following the sounds of grunts and rumbles as he went through his motions. For a few moments Lillianne watched, and then just as he was turning around through a particularly hard swing, she stopped his swing with her halberd, looking him in the eyes while the unspoken words began to fly as their blades met.

"_Why was Aufheben kissing you?" _the way her blade hit and rang made it sound as if she had shouted at him. Matthew pulled back and struck from the right and then from the top, each time their blades met sounding like a bell ringing.

"_How am I supposed to know that?_" Sparks flew into the air carried on the rings of pressure ushed away from the meeting of the blades. Lillianne countered the final swing by deflecting it to the ground and swinging from the right only to be met with the Dume.

"_You were the one with your face stuck to hers!"_ Matthew's eyes narrowed as he pulled away, swinging from above and slamming into the handle of the halberd with enough force that it made Lillianne's feet sink into the fertile ground below.

"_I DON'T KNOW!_" Lillianne pushed the blade away and then kicked him in the gut, bringing down her halberd hard on him but was once again stopped by the Dume.

"_What do you mean you don't know?" _Lillianne pulled back and swung from the right as her blade was stopped and then pinned to the ground while Matthew pulled his sword back and thrust forwards, aiming for her chest, deflected by the halberd's handle.

"_Just as I said I don't know! It was as if I wasn't myself!" _Lillianne pushed the blade away and then swung down hard, her halberd sent ringing to the ground but giving her the momentum needed to attack with a heavy blow from over the head which was stopped by Matthew who swung from the right.

"_Don't you know how much that I love you Matthew?"_ Matthew's eyes narrowed again as he pulled back, struck her halberd out of her hands with an upward left cross, stepped in wide behind her left foot and tripped her as he pushed her to the ground with the pummel of his sword, spun the sword down and plunged the tip of the sword into the ground beside her head, leaning against the glowing sword with small frustrated tears hanging at the corners of his eyes.

"Lillianne, I don't know what it was that had made me do something like that. But I would never want to tear us apart, not now, not in a million years. Just give me some time to work through this in my head." Pulling the sword from the ground he dropped it into the sheath draped over his shoulders, wiping the sweat from his forehead and returning to the town. Lillianne sat up, now knowing that she hadn't lost Matthew completely, but something in him had changed, as did something in her.

* * *

Eleanor smiled, her lips pulling to the side as she darkened her watching ball after hearing the most promising lead on the last crystal husk yet. Imagine, it was hidden right in front of them and yet they couldn't get a fix on its energy because it was being used as a power source. With a wave of her hand, the leader of her pack of wyverns glided down to her with an ire silence and thrummed in a high pitched voice while Eleanor scratched its chin.

"The Mage will be very pleased to hear about this new development." She said silkily, patting the neck of the wyvern which flew back up to it perch in the dark somewhere. Just as Eleanor was leaving, she stopped next to her closet and eyed the dress that she had made on her birthday: it was so elegant and so unlike her. Perhaps her master The Mage would be pleased to see her in such a dress; he was still a man and no doubt easily susceptible to a woman such as she. Eleanor shook her head to stop thinking about it and made her way down the hall way, some of the other disciples they had recently gathered watching her for a long time after she had passed them. These young men that they had recruited were so simple minded that all she would have to do was swing her hips a little heavier as she walked or shift her weight forward slightly as she talked to them and they became nothing but mindless balls of putty.

However there was one student that showed promise, yet there was a very thick air of mystery around him, similar to The Mage himself. Just as she rounded the corner, she spotted him: it was hard not to spot him, especially with the giant Sword of Dume that he always carried. When he had first come, he was the first to refuse the cloaks offered to him during the introduction to what the Black Wings were all about, saying that what he wore would be enough and that he would modify it to accommodate the Black Wings Badge carried on the hats given out to all the officers. His face had gentle lines, slightly feminine in nature with strange dragon-like magenta eyes and long, black, finger combed hair that reached to his thighs. On his cheeks were tattooed two red marks, starting at the back of his jaw line and curving up to the bottom of his eyes. Most of the time when Eleanor saw him, he was wdressed in black with heavy black metal grieves and gauntlets. Over that he wore a sleeveless trench coat that had a high collar and reached to the floor with two large steel buckld belts on his waist and a long elegant chain that reached from the right belt loop of the jacket and reached to the front belt loop on the other side. The flowing leather sleeves only covered his massive forearms which were secured around his elbow and left his muscular upper arms bare.

Eleanor liked as her favorite student, often taking extra time to train him and watching with pride as he would not only use the spells she taught him, but also use them while swinging through the powerful sword play that could split a mountain if he tried. Another thing that made her like him the best was the fact that he didn't succumb easily to her feminine charm and wiles, or at least he didn't make it obvious. Just as she passed him in the hall she set a slender hand on his strong shoulder, stopping him as he wound his way through the mass of new students.

"Meet me outside the castle. I have a spell that you might want to try and use with your sword." The man stopped and looked back at her with a cold smile and those strange magenta eyes with dragon-like pupils, making a shiver run up her spine slightly. Ok, she REALLY liked him, almost as much as The Mage. The man nodded and continued on his way, turning into his room while Eleanor continued on her way to tell the Mage of her findings. Eleanor bowed to The Mage as she came into the door and then walked up to him as he stood at the window overlooking Edelstein, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"I have found the last husk. It is to be used for a machine that the Mateon aliens have built in the Omega Sector." The Mage nodded, thinking over what could be done.

"The Mindrive is complete, the Grace Gears are working perfectly and have already provided Papulatus with the needed mana to fuel his Clock Face. The storage tanks are nearing completion to hold the mana your Drills are draining from the land. From this point, the only thing that we will have to do is wait for those children to complete re-training the crystal's power." Eleanor explained, feeling some of the tension in The Mage's shoulders disappear, but not completely as he blankly watched Edelstein from the window.

"Shall I go and retrieve the crystal for you milord?" The Mage shook his head and turned around as whispers faded into existence.

"Then I shall take my favorite student with me. If all else fails I will intervene, but until then I will let him be the one to do the retrieval." Eleanor smiled as her sultry red lips spread across her face, pulling up her hood and walking out of the room, quickly coming to the man's room and knocking: it was strange that she didn't know his name except for the nickname that he had given them, Dragon.

"Dragon, it's time to leave. The Mage has given us…" Just as Eleanor entered, she stopped; Dragon wasn't in his room. Maybe he had gone to the training grounds to practice when her eye caught the note left on Dragon's desk.

_"Mistress Eleanor, if you come here and I am gone I will meet you at the entrance to the castle. I had a small personal matter to attend to."_ Eleanor nodded as she read the note and then left again for the front of the castle.

* * *

Claudine and Checky stepped cautiously into the back alley after hearing the small bell of their informant on the Black Wings. In a loud whisper, Claudine called out the password.

"With oil and water I will create a new beginning…"

"…And with sweat and grease I will rise from the ashes." Came the voice of their informant, who always remained in the shadows of the alley but he was one of them, just a_ DEEP_ undercover spy for them and they were never informed as to who would be the informant except that he would respond with that password.

"Well, what have you been able to learn?" Checky asked.

"Not much. So far I'm still only allowed to go certain places, but from what I have learned, the Mana tanks they have been working on are nearly complete, and that's the most of what I know." A small beep sounded on his wrist, making him look at it and press a button.

"I must be on my way." The person said, as the sound of thick leather fluttering in the wind tore into the night.

"I'm sure glad he's on our side. Minerva only knows what he would be able to do if he weren't." Claudine said as she and Checky left back to their underground meeting hall too keep their activities hidden from the Black Wings as best they could; they had even gathered a few recruits of their own to their cause.

* * *

It was slow going but the four of them walked though the underbrush if the Bosswell plains to the very center of the Mateon's living area where a large dome had been built. Jack pulled out some binoculars he had brought with him and looked down to what seemed to be the entrance, watching as hundreds of Mateon wriggled in and out of the dome.

"I thought your elder said there were only a thousand of these things. There looks to be at least ten times that!" Jack whispered.

"_They must have brought more in recent time. The MT-09 is kept through that hanger, at least according to the data that Zeno was able to gather while he was creeping around in there._" Kizong thought to them. Jack nodded as he put the Binoculars back up to his face, watching what seemed to be supplies being moved around outside, opened and then moved back into the hanger.

"What do you suppose those things are?" Jenny asked, tilting her chin in the direction of the crates.

"_I wouldn't have the slightest clue._" Olsen thought about it for a moment and then watched as another machine picked up the crates and moved them directly into the hanger.

"We can use those to get in. I doubt they'll look in them, they haven't looked into one of them this entire time." Olsen suggested. Jack panned over to the larger crates, watching as only an armed patrol would surround a certain crate until a machine came to pick it up.

"We'd need to be quick, there's about 30 seconds between when one gets picked up and another is guarded." Olsen grinned as small wings appeared on all of their heels.

"_I will stay behind and wait for the reinforcements. By the time you get in they should be here waiting for your signal." _Kizong thought to them, slinking back into the underbrush to remain hidden.

"That won't be hard to miss." Jack mumbled as they began running through the underbrush and hiding behind small hills as they made their way to the crates. Just before the armed guard was too close to the crate, then opened it jumped in and closed it again, holding the door shut so when they began to move the door wouldn't flop around and give them away. The heat was stifling, but it wasn't long until they were lifted up and moved, all the while bumping and jerking as the machine hit different potholes or bumps.

"Olsen, what's in here can you tell?" It took a moment but Olsen's eyes adjusted to the lack of light and searched around, feeling in places where it was too dark to see. As he went, his hand brushed against something that felt like fabric, different from the rest of the things he felt which made him go back. As he ran his fingers over it, it felt as if it gave slightly under his hand, as if it had a firm gelatinous consistency.

"Hey!" Jenny hissed, smacking his hand away.

"What was that?" Olsen whispered back, confused at what it was that he had felt.

"That was my chest thank you very much." Olsen snorted a bit in embarrassment and covered his mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Sorry, it's a little dark in here, ya know?" Jenny huffed and crossed her arms, being sure to watch where Olsen's hands were until the crate was set down and the machine sounded as if it pulled away and went somewhere else. Cautiously they snuck out of the crate, hiding behind other piles and bundles of equipment trying to find a good hiding place that would keep them concealed well enough to be a 'home base'. Finally they managed to find crates that were stacked against the wall with just enough space for them to squeeze between the wall and the crate into a small pocket on top.

"No offence to you guys, but I can keep hidden better then you two. Take recon on the area and I'll see if I can find out where the MT-09 is being kept." Olsen suggested as Jenny and Jack nodded in return.

"I think that's it right there." Jenny pointed out, looking over the top of the crates just under the floor of the next level. Olsen came over to where she was pointing where a large biped machine sat with cables and clamps tied to it.

"I'll see if I can get close enough to it to see if it's being powered by the Emerald Crystal. If it is, I'm going to create a diversion over there at the hanger door so that you guys can try and get to it and take the crystal out. If all else fails, we'll just try and get that thing outside so that the Grays can help us out." Jenny and Jack nodded as Olsen disappeared and quickly flitted from place to place. Even though he was using his Dark Sight to remain hidden, his steps could still be heard and his actions could be seen if he wasn't carful. He managed to get close to the machine, but just as he was about to round the corner to get a good look at the machine he spotted what he assumed to be technicians looking at it, tinkering with different wires or pulling out circuit boards that resembled sheets of clear crystal and then replacing them. One of them looked as though it had been burnt and all the circuits severed as though it were a fuse. The two Mateon looking over the MT looked at each other for a moment as though speaking to each other and then left, taking he burnt circuit with them. Carefully Olsen crept forward and peered into the opening and there in his face was a fist sized crystal, glowing with the same ire green color of Jenny's crystal power.

"_That has to be it._" He thought, but he hadn't the slightest idea how to get it out of the MT since all of the four points that the crystal had been shaped into were buried into four clamps that pulsed with the same color energy feeding into the machine. He was about to try and find a way to release it, when the Mateon that left came back with another circuit, this time with something that resembled thicker pathways embedded into it. Olsen thought for a moment, coming to realization that whatever their technology was it couldn't handle the power of the crystal. One of the Mateon waved his tentacle to another sitting in the machine as whines and grinds came from the machine and plumes of black smoke and steam were jettisoned from the body of the machine as it took its own weight, the crystal glowing brightly. It stood there for a moment but when the driver went to move the arm there was a bright flash and then an explosion of black smoke from the same circuit they had just replaced, making the machine wind down again. Just as they had before, the Mateon took out the circuit, left and came back with a circuit that looked like the first, but this one seemed like it had been made from the Emerald crystal itself. Carefully they slid the circuit in place and the Mateon waved its tentacle again. This time the machine started so quickly it was as if it were in fast forward. The driver tested out the arms, moved the giant legs, and then made the machine curl its arms up and though flexing.

"_It's now or never: If that thing gets lose, there's no telling what it could do._" Olsen thought, dropping his Dark Sight and throwing a flash bang at the door, which caught the attention of all the Mateon in the hanger. Olsen quickly pushed off a hex and leapt to the second level, hurling stars and cutting through the tentacle aliens as fast as he could to keep the attention on him. Jenny and Jack crept behind the action and quickly made their way to the MT just as it was arming itself with an energy gun and firing high powered shots at Olsen as he ran. Jack readied himself, pulling back his fist and running forward but just as his fist was about to make contact, the Mateon looked back and the Machine blurred as it moved to the other side of the hanger. Jack stumbled to a stop, trying to figure out what it was that had just happened, pulling out his pistol as a blue cloud enveloped his arm and gun.

Time and time again he pulled the trigger making the pistol roar with fire and smoke, but each time the MT would move in a blur to one side or the other. With blinding speed Jack reached for his reload, flicked the cylinder open as the spent bullets leapt from their chambers from the spring loaded dischargers. Just as the last shell left its chamber Jack slammed a plate onto the back then flicked the cylinder shut, cocking back the hammer and unleashing the new bullets into the air, but still the machine dodged each of the super shots with ease.

"JENNY! PIN HIM DOWN!" Olsen yelled as he jumped from pillar to pillar to get even higher and avoid the relentless energy pistols that were being fired at him. Jack pulled his lips to the side in a sly smile as he held out his hand and created a grenade, pulled the pin with his teeth and hurled it to the right of the MT, which as he expected, moved left to avoid it. Jack and Jenny both countered: Jack firing his super shot and Jenny her Bomb arrow which made the Driver of the MT move back right, which landed him on top of the grenade just as it was detonating. When the cloud of smoke went up, Jenny fired bomb arrow after bomb arrow into the cloud, hearing pieces of metal clinking to the ground. Olsen positioned himself above the MT and pushed hard off the ceiling while he held out a star that suddenly grew huge with eight points that he hurled into the cloud, listening as a loud clank hit the ground followed by the sound of lose metal shavings. The Mateons stopped and stared at the cloud for a moment, almost in shock that their greatest creation had been taken down by mere humans. Olsen slid down a pillar, and then leapt from railing to railing until her was beside his friends.

"Did we get it?" Jenny asked as giant fans came on and blew the smoke away revealing the MT face down on the ground. With something that sounded like a mechanical growl, the driver looked up at them, and pushed its weight off the ground as it stood once more with the exception of one missing arm that lay beside it.

"I think we just made the driver angry." Jack surmised when the Machine rushed forward and swept them aside with the attached arm into the door of the hanger, denting it with their body impressions. Jack tried as best he could to get the splitting headache to calm down as he put aside his mana and began beating against the hanger door with all that he had while Jenny and Olsen took care of the advancing Mateons from behind. The MT driver reached for the detached arm and held it up to the shoulder joint as the wires, metal and ball joint all repaired themselves into place. Once he had done that, the forearms opened and then came together as the hands disappeared into the arms while a beam began charging in the hole. Just before it fired, Olsen changed his cloak into the his flame resistant shoes, then jumped up and drop kicked the shot back, barely missing the MT by a hair, but the attack left Olsen's legs feeling numb from the impact. Jenny quickly ran to him and helped him back just as Jack transformed his cloak into Hammer Fists, slamming them into the floor to make a slab of rock jut from it. No sooner had he done that then the rock was disintegrated and they were blown through the hanger door. Jenny struggled to pick herself off the ground, coughing up a small spray of blood while Jack wiped away the stream of blood running down his face and Olsen cradled his claw arm which had a large gash that ran down the length of his forearm. Jack hurriedly readied himself even though he could barely stand, ready to continue the fight that they were quickly loosing.

"KIZONG! START YOUR ATTACK!" Jack shouted.

"Jenny, Wasn't this thing like a level 70 boss in the game?" Jack asked, trying to steady himself as the MT-09 pushed through the hole in the door.

"Yeah, it should have been down by now. I think is has something to do with the fact that the Emerald crystal is powering it." Jenny called as she held her head. Jack became angry when Kizong's attack hadn't begun, even though he had called for it.

"KIZONG! WHERE is your…"as he turned around he saw at least a hundred Grays laying face down, puddles of grey-blue blood spreading out below them with blade marks and craters decorating the ground. Olsen and Jenny managed to roll onto their knees and look around at the carnage before them.

"Who did this?" Jenny asked; fear striking all three of them as the realization that they were on their own hit them.

"Oh, come now. Were you three relying on that pathetic excuse for an army?" a sultry voice said making all of them turn to see Eleanor standing amidst the bodies, twisting her foot into the back of Kizong, making his eyes squint as though he were screaming in pain.

"Eleanor; I should have known it was you who did this." Jack growled. She laughed as she took her stiletto heal from Kizong's back and took a sensuous bow.

"Your words flatter me Sir Jack. But I had nothing to do with this. In fact, he's about to come back." Eleanor said, pointing towards the base. Just as she finished, the MT came lumbering up behind them but looked as though the machine was stunned as someone wearing a black coat landed on the top of the machine, plunging the Sword of Dume he carried through the driver, then jumped up and cut through the metal of the machine as though it were nothing, cutting away its arms, legs and anything else that surrounded the crystal within the clamps. Olsen watched in awe for a moment and was about to call out to him, but stopped; his hair reminded him of Matthew, but those strange dragon-like magenta eyes stared back at him with hard malice. The man sheathed the Dume across his back and walked back to Eleanor with the crystal, handing it to her as she levitated in her hands and removed the metallic pieces around it, holding it up to the light.

"There, now the collection in complete. Thank you Dragon." Dragon crossed his right hand to his left shoulder and took a small bow.

"Now take out the rest of these pests. We don't want these guardians getting hurt anymore than they already are." Eleanor said as Dragon once again drew the Dume and walked slowly up to the approaching army as a seal appeared on his shoulder. The first Mateon he came to he swung through its body as if it were nothing, making a small orb appear on his shoulder. Four more appeared as he swung through even more of the Mateon, but when all five orbs of the Warrior's Overcharge appeared, he continued to swing, each of the orbs turning red as he went. When all five orbs turned red, Dragon stopped took a wide stance, bringing up the Dume parallel to the ground and holding out his hand as dark aura began to seep from the blade. All the seals were absorbed into his arm and with one hard swing the black aura spread from the blade, looking as though stars were buried in it in a single crescent shaped sheet that cut through every single Mateon still standing and finally cutting through their building which exploded in a ball of fire. Ceremoniously, Dragon swung the blade from right to left and then sheathed it as he turned his head over his shoulder and locked eyes with Jack.

"Dark Seraphim." Dragon said with a chill in his voice. Jack could no longer stand to see someone like him here, knowing that he was part of the Black Wings. Jack got to his feet and leapt forwards but was sent flopping back as Dragon turned around and stood with feet apart as he quickly held his left arm up to the side and a large tiger leapt from behind him, roaring loud enough that the sound wave hit Jack with gut turning force and knocked him to the ground.

"I wouldn't try to attack Dragon right now, at least not in your condition." Eleanor suggested as she walked over to him putting her left arm around his shoulders and her right hand onto his chest as Dragon relaxed and stood to his full height.

"I've trained him well. I'll wager that he could even defeat your Matthew. But that's for another time. Tah tah guardians; it's been fun, but we must be returning." Eleanor said, blowing a kiss at them and disappeared in a cloud of black vapors. When she had gone, the three of them went to Kizong, tending to him and his wounds as the best they could as more troops of the Grays came to assist them.

* * *

Athena walked down the path from her hut to the place where Eckhart said he would meet her that day. Sure he might be a bit inexperienced and shy, but there was something that Athena could feel, as if she could see the lover within him even though they had only officially been dating for a couple days. She wore a yellow camisole and short shorts with knee high white leather heel boots and her hair tied back in a pony tail. Today Eckhart said that he was going to show her something; what exactly could it be? A sunset? No that couldn't be it she had seen plenty of sunsets in her day so that might not be it. What was it that he was going to show her? Questions kept mounting her head until she saw him, making her quicken her step to him and wrap her arms around his and walk with him, smiling slightly as she watched him put his mask back on to cover the red flaring in his cheeks.

"Eckhart, you don't have to be embarrassed by this. It'll come naturally with time."

"It's just a habit. Please, just bare with it." Eckhart asked. Athena only laughed as she put her head on his shoulder and walked with him.

"So what is this thing that you wanted to show me?" Athena asked with interest. Eckhart remained silent, leading her to a part of the forest that was slightly secluded when the sound of gentle music began floating through the air. Athena looked around and then noticed that the tune was familiar, being played on a Black Reed windpipe, the most difficult instrument to learn in the elfin race.

"Where did you find someone who knew how to play the Black Reed?" Still Eckhart remained silent as he led her to a place that was surrounded by candles, hundreds of them everywhere lighting the area with a warm light. Athena's breath caught as she allowed herself to be led into the circle where a single table was set, covered in a white table cloth as white as a cloud and sparkling utensils that reflected the candlelight like a thousand mirrors. With a gentle hand Eckhart pulled up a seat made of a cut log and led Athena to it, and then walking over to a cooler and pulled from it a plate of an expensive elfin dish known as Klain: a stir-fry of sorts using delicate new fern leaves. Again Athena was at a loss for words; everything that Eckhart was presenting were things from her childhood back when… wait… did he know about her past and had he told Aran? Nervously she pulled at her ear and crossed her legs trying to seem natural. She kept the questions and panic to herself as the pleasant and lighthearted conversation kept her focused on Eckhart, easing her worry. But Eckhart never let on that he had found something about her past, which continued to ease her mind allowing her to focus more and more on Eckhart, letting herself feel once again, even if it was only a few days in. Back in the forest, despite his heavy armor and weapon, Aran hid in the forest watching Athena with sharp eyes how the tension in her shoulders melted away as she sat there talking to Eckhart while the request he had made of him came back to him.

"_Eckhart, there has been something that has been haunting me ever since I was reawakened by Lilin and I need your help to relieve it. I can help you if you want._" Aran nodded to himself, putting to rest the old haunt of his memories. Maha separated from the halberd and rested on his shoulder.

"What are we watching for?" he whispered.

"I've found a friend from my past." Aran smiled as he watched the two of them together.

"Do you mean Athena? She may have been a friend before you were frozen; she's definitely old enough." Maha replied.

"That's not what I meant. Athena is actually not her name. Helena is her real name." Maha's eyes went wide as he looked at Aran.

"_THAT'S _Helena? She looks so different!" Maha exclaimed as he looked back to her. Aran smiled as he too could see the difference.

"You're right. Her hair was a different color, almost white. And here eyes were lighter too. Now it makes sense why she always hung around me after her training with the Bow Master. What was her name?" Maha shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"I can't remember. My memory isn't as good as a weapon. If I were still human then maybe, but now I have trouble remembering some things." Aran bobbled his head around and silently walked out of the forest back to his quarters.

"How did you know it was her?" Aran snorted and smiled.

"The pulling at her ear and crossing her legs gave it away. She used to do that as kids when she became nervous."

* * *

The Mage's eyes grinned as he extended his hand where Eleanor dropped the Emerald Crystal husk into his hand, Dragon kneeling behind her. The Mage then held it up to the sunlight between his middle finger and thumb as his eyes fell, becoming angry and intense. He then wrapped his hand around it and began squeezing, making the crystal shatter into a thousand pieces, small chips bouncing off the ground and spreading out across the floor.

"Milord?" Eleanor asked, coming forward as did Dragon, reaching for his Dume out of reflex. The Mage's eyes narrowed into wrath as hissing whispers filled the air and the remaining chips of the crystal were obliterated into smoke.

"A fake? How can someone make a fake?" Eleanor questioned when The Mage held up his hand, revealing an image within a cloud of aura of a Black Crystal being overlaid a normal gem.

"Was it Dragonoir? Is that why he was at Richie's seal?" Dragon asked as he put his hand down from the handle of his sword, but still felt tense. The Mage said nothing as he walked over to a part of the throne room and turned a few pages over in an old book until he had found what he was looking for, whispers filling the air as he read.

"Bible of the Corrupt? I've heard of it be never actually thought it existed." Dragon commented.

"It is very real. There may be a better formula to create something of this caliber in it which might be why Dragonoir was at the seal to the Forest of the Dead. But how does Dragonoir know of such a Formula? I have never even heard of creating something like this in all my studies of Black Magic." Eleanor said thinking through her massive knowledge as The Mage held his hand up, playing with a black flame in his hand before turning to them and holding up and image of Dragonoir while whispers hung thick in the air, clenching his hand and dispelling the aura that was there. Eleanor and Dragon both bowed as they left his chamber with heavy steps: Dragon's boots clomping on the floor while Eleanor's stilettos clicked sharply. Just before they were to cross the threshold of the room, The Mage held up his hand and beckoned to Eleanor. When she came near, The Mage put his hands around her jaw and stared hard into her eyes as a small light passed between their foreheads for a moment and then allowed her to leave.

"You did very well Dragon in using that new technique I taught you." Eleanor complimented, holding out her had as her staff floated out of her room and into her hand before holding her head where the light had touched her.

"Thank you Mistress Eleanor. It is because I have such a good teacher." Eleanor smiled as they walked to the castle door, where a skiff that Oberon had brought back from her time waited for them.

"What did the mage do to you before we left?" Dragon asked as they boarded the skiff and prepared to push off.

"He showed me where the fake crystals were from. Apparently it was a very old experiment found in the caves surrounding Perion in the days of the Sharenian. They had found a way to create new crystals using Black Crystals as a base, then cutting and empowering the new crystal with common gems which gave them the power of the original crystals but were very unstable. Because of this instability, The Mage ordered the experiment be given up." Dragon smiled as he started the skiff and pushed them away from the building slightly, turning the helm into the air.

"It sounds as if Dragonoir is trying to overpower The Mage by making these new crystals." Dragon said, making Eleanor chuckle.

"That will never happen. However if he continues to create the unstable crystals, it could affect the power the 'Guardians' have, hence why we were assigned to stop him."


	20. Chapter 19: And I Think to Myself

Chapter 19: And I Think To Myself, What A Wonderful World

Helen woke with a start; something was wrong she just knew it, something was seriously wrong! Quickly she got up and put on a robe over her long sleep tee and slipped on her favorite slippers. Running through the sleeping village with quiet steps and teleports, she came to the dining table she had been at the previous evening holding out her hand with a glowing orb of plasma to provide light. Franticly she searched everywhere she had been sitting. Her mind was racing faster and faster until the light glinted off something under the seat making her breathe a sigh of relief as she reached for the Ice Tear pendant that Aufheben had given them all when they set her free.

Once she came down from her adrenalin high, she sat down on the bench and just watched the night sky with slightly sad eyes, wishing that Jack was there with her. It had only been a few days, but it felt like it had been an eternity since she had hugged Jack. Yes she was angry at him, but what was the use of being angry if it tore her away from Jack? The previous day Olsen, Jenny and Jack had returned from their expedition to Omega Sector, and for once she put aside her smoldering anger becoming worried over Jack who had bruises all over his body and a swollen cheek. While Grendal healed Olsen and Jenny's wounds, she tended to Jack's wounds.

"_He surely knows how to make one worry._" She thought, looking up at the stars again as she put the pendant around her neck and walked back to her sleeping hut, climbing under her cool sheets and slowly falling asleep with thoughts running through her mind about how she would try and start repairs on their relationship.

* * *

Lillianne sat up, still unable to sleep. She looked at the small clock on her dresser and sighed as the red numbers glared back at her: 1:35 AM. Finally tired of not being able to sleep she got up and put on her armor then grabbed her halberd as she left, walking to the training grounds where Matthew had been the afternoon before; maybe this would tire her out enough that she could finally sleep. As she went however, she could hear someone already swinging something silently through the air, quick breaths and grunts sounding in the dark as though the night itself where speaking. As she approached, she again saw Matthew this time with a heavy headed spear, the Redeem, flowing through the motions as naturally as ever and coming very close to hitting every tree in the vicinity, but miss them by a hair as if he was missing on purpose.

Just as Matthew turned around and stepped wide hurling the tip of the spear forward, it was blocked by Lillianne's halberd, a forged recreation of Aran's Maha. Matthew lowered his head and looked up at her from under his eyebrows, pulling back and launching the two of them into a heated spar, each of their weapons sparking as they made contact kicking up a small breeze around them with their swings. Neither one of them used the abilities they had been taught, silently making a vow neither would use any until they had laid their personal distance aside. Each of them were evenly matched, neither one able to overpower the other as their weapons clashed again and again, the cutting edges beginning to glow red from being swung through the air so fast and the constant body jarring hits the weapons produced, speaking to each other on the deepest level through their weapons.

With a final swing the air currents and weapons collided with each other, tearing the leaves from the trees as they both stood with crossed weapons, breathing hard and staring into each other's eyes. Matthew was the first to break the stare and stand back up from leaning into the swing, pushing the pummel of the spear into the ground and unclasp the Mithril armor around his arms, pulling away the upper body armor to let the breeze cool him from their sparring, his skin glinting in the moonlight.

"Matthew, what is it that you won't let go of? It's as if you're holding onto something that you want to get rid of." Lillianne questioned as she walked up behind him and set her hand on his bare shoulder.

"Every time I think about it, I get a feeling pure malice towards to you. Everything in my head tells me to just get you as far away from me as possible, but my heart just wants to pull you as close as possible and never let you go." Lillianne walked around in front of him, setting her halberd down and placing both hands on his chest while laying her head on top of her hands as they stood.

"Then do just that; I've missed your embrace for too long. Jack and Olsen say they've known you long enough to know that this is very unlike you. Perhaps an explanation can be reached." She said as she pulled up her head and looked him in the eye, seeing that his face was shaking and his eyes were wide, as if in both in anger and in horror. She turned slightly to see that his left arm was raised holding his Blood Katana up, poised to strike. Gently Lillianne ran her hand up his arm and pushed her fingers into his wire tight fist, dislodging his grip and making the sword stick into the ground as she laced her fingers with his and pulled herself up slightly, meeting his lips tenderly as she brought his hand down to the small of her back as she reached up and laced her fingers through his long hair.

* * *

Olsen woke when he felt Jenny move under his arm wrapped around her waist, smiling when he felt Jenny place her own onto Olsen's. Physically the both of them were equally strong, but there was something at the back of her mind that she kept secret, often wondering what it was like to be held by Jack or Matthew. Either one of them probably had the strength of three of Olsens, but she quickly sighed and pushed the thought out of her mind. Lately however it had been gnawing at the back of her mind more and more, almost as if she _wanted_ to cause problems for her and Olsen. At first she just passed it off as curiosity when she found out that Matthew had just all of a sudden kissed Aufheben, but now it had turned into something resembling an obsession. Carefully she turned over and put her arms around Olsen, pulling herself closer to him trying to stifle the thoughts running through her head: maybe if she were just closer to Olsen her thoughts would fade and allow her to fall back to sleep.

* * *

Dragonoir clenched his hand tighter around then end of his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose: yes he had gone through the Fate Alteration spell with Maya, but things were not progressing the way he had hoped. In fact, they weren't going anywhere. All he had really succeeded in doing was making those Pesky Guardians stop for some time off. He even made sure to weave a thought altering spell into the Fate Alteration, and it too was being slowly extinguished as though it were a smoldering coal. The beaker on his desk hissed and popped as the crystal inside had finally formed. This would be his sixth attempt at making the infamous Dark Crystal that empowered the Black Mage so much, but each time that he had tried, the crystal came out as one of the other four crystals. He already had hundreds of the others: Ruby, Emerald, Pink Quartz and Amethyst. But for some reason he couldn't produce the final crystal that would complete what he was trying to do. Walking over to the beaker, he reached into the acidic solution and pulled from it a crystal no bigger than a quarter that radiated with a strange aura, feeling almost as if it were mana that had become rancid. At first, the crystal began to fade to a dark red, making Dragonoir growl with anger when the darkness of the crystal returned and the crystal became shiny, a liquid-like substance swishing back and forth within the glassy skin.

"Yes, YES! I've done it!" he shouted, walking over to something that resembled a breast plate and set the small crystal in the center of the other four that he had successfully created and then donned it, covering it with the cloak that he wore.

"Master Dragonoir! You've done it! What was it that you did this time?" Dragonoir held up his hand towards a wall of his hut and smiled at a bolt of strange colored energy shot from his hand and left the wall melting into a slimy goop.

"In order to create the New Dark Crystal, the ancient texts said that all the gems must be combined. At first I thought that it meant to take all of the gems combined with a Black Crystal. But as you saw, time and time again that failed. I went back to the temples, hoping to see something that I had missed, and sure enough, there was: a piece of the wall had fallen. In the ancient Sharenian language, the root word for crystal is gem. In a direct translation, crystal in Sharenian actually translates as Great Gem. Part of the wall containing the rest of this word had fallen off. I didn't need to combine all the gems, I needed to combine the four other crystals together to create a New Dark Crystal with another Black Crystal. With that knowledge, I have created the perfect New Dark Crystal." Dragonoir explained. Maya smiled happily for her master as he put an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"With this, I will be able to challenge the Black Mage!" he shouted, thrusting his fist into the air with gusto.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your little victory speech but in order to get to the Magus, you'll need to be tested by us." A voice interrupted. Dragonoir looked back to his door where Eleanor and Dragon stood, Dragon drawing his Dume lighting the room in a blue light as the mana veins within the blade became engulfed and a seal ignited on his shoulder.

"Oh, it's only you two. This shouldn't take long Maya. Why don't you go and wait out back with Phoenix." Maya nodded, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and walked out of the room, her long hair flowing in the breeze.

"Taking us so lightly is not wise Dragonoir." Eleanor said smoothly. Dragonoir shook his head as a strange colored aura filled his hands at his side, looking almost like smoke before hurling his hands forward in a blast of thick black aura.

* * *

"Checky! Here's that part you were looking for." Belle called as she wiped the sweat from her face, dragging a long black greese smudge across her face. Checky reached for the screw and started it, quickly threading it all the way down and then tightening it snugly onto the small sphere.

"There! And it only took me three days to make!" Checky said smugly as he handed it to Belle.

"Now what exactly is this thing again?" she asked, looking over the softball sized machine. Across the middle was a single black line that wrapped around the entirety of the sphere, while five small black dots were evenly spaced along each half of the sphere. Checky pushed his hat up and shrugged.

"Haven't come up with a name for it yet, but it allows you to operate a miniature arrow turret installment using mana as a medium; watch." Leading Belle outside, he put each of her fingers on one of the black dots for a minute then threw the sphere into the air. Instantly the sphere glowed red as what looked to be energy gathered around it in a circular motion, solidifying into something that resembled the inner workings of a clock resembling a gear shape itself. Once that had finished, eight teeth of the gear expanded into something that resembled a cannon muzzle, a black cloud of smoke pluming from each one while a fire ignited inside. A cylinder came out of the center on either side and then flowered into another gear which quickly began spinning counter clockwise winding something inside. Once the machine seemed to finish assembling, Checky pointed and the machine turned until the muzzles were facing the direction Checky was pointing. As if pulling the trigger on an invisible weapon, Checky curled his finger and the machine erupted into a sputter of arrow fire, rotating the muzzles around each other with a charged set of mana arrows. When the sputter stopped, the arrows in the ground began pulsing a red color until they began exploding leaving nothing but a deep crater where they had been before. No sooner had that happened then the machine seemed to disassemble in the same way it had assembled and dropped into Checky's hand.

"Wow. That was cool. But what good is going to do me if I can only use it for a short time?" Belle asked, looking over the sphere.

"Oh don't worry, I only filled is with enough mana for one blast. If you take time to fill it a little each day, it has the capacity to work for a solid hour. I'm still working on the Exo-suit, so between that and these, I'll be kinda busy." Black Jack, Belle's pet panther, padded up to Belle and nuzzled her arm, telling her that he wanted to be pet or have his head scratched.

"How is work going on the Exo?" Claudine's voice asked as she came walking into the underground garage, taking the mask from her face and adjusting the figure hugging corset, untying the strings and then retying them again.

"It's slow since getting parts for it isn't easy. I have to use broken parts from the mining Mecha, so I have to fix those up first before I can use them. Once I have this one complete I'll be able to slowly make more. Where's Deren?" he asked. Claudine smiled as she pointed a delicate finger at the door. Agitatedly Deren pulled the goggles from his face, leaving two perfect holes in the soot that covered his face and set the cane sized wand on the desk.

"Man it would be nice to have someone to teach me how to use that stuff, maybe even that pretty mage Helen. Half the time it explodes in my face." Deren said, looking through the spell book again, trying to find out where it was that he had gone wrong. Checky pulled a tattered red scarf from his jump suit and handed it to Deren.

"Here, take a break. I was about to go get some lunch. You guys wanna come with?" Claudine shook her head as Deren wiped his face.

"I'd have to change again. Frankly I'd rather stay like this. It's much more fun." Claudine protested. Checky sighed as Belle giggled.

"Babe, come on. At least just for a bit? It'll do you some good to get out of this place to eat once in a while." Claudine sighed heavily and rocked her head around as Checky took the bear suit off, allowing his spiky white hair to spring back into its usual spot.

"Alright fine, but only for a little while: there are some people who want to join our cause that I want you to teach."

"Claudine! We don't even have our own skills perfected! And you want us to teach them?" Belle exclaimed with a squeak in her voice. Claudine shrugged and smiled as she undid the corset and set it to the side, straightening the white blouse and then loosening the belt of her skin tight pants, wrapping a snug skirt around her hips and then pulling off the pants, finally donning her eye glasses.

"Well, at least that way it'll get you to learn faster. The Black Mage is gathering more of his power the more we sit by and do nothing. It's best to get things rolling now while they don't suspect anything rather than to wait until it's too late. We've already found out that we couldn't rely on Cygnus and her knights, so it's time that we took matters into our own hands! We might not even be able to count on those kids."

"Claud, that wasn't their fault. They were just as surprised as we were. They were _on their way_. Why can't you just forgive them?" Deren said closing the spell book and handing the scarf back to Checky.

"Did you forget that they are the reason my brother was killed? IF THEY WERE HERE HE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!" Claudine shouted in his face, leaving Deren speechless.

"We can't count on anyone! We will be the ones to take Edelstein back from the Black Wings!" Claudine shouted to them, sitting down and looking over reports from their already recruited miners.

"Just go on. I'm going to stay here." Claudine snapped as Checky's eyes fell and he nodded. He, Claudine and her brother John had been close, but the two of them were closer still, so he could understand her vengeance against not only the Cygnus Knights, but also against the Black Wings. Slowly he motioned for the other to follow as he threw on his brown trench coat and the red scarf around his neck as Belle and Deren changed clothes and came running after him. Claudine angrily looked over reports until her vision blurred from tears clinging to the bottom of her eyes and she could no longer read, dropping her head to the desk, her shoulders heaving with each sob.

* * *

Nathan sidestepped Matthew as the head of his spear whistled passed him, leaving an opening for Nathan to strike him with the butt end of his spear. But he was blocked as Matthew raised his spear and countered by making Nathan slide back from blocking one of Matthew's thunderous hits.

"You're technique is improving Nathan. Now, show me your power swing. Split this rock here." He said, motioning to a large boulder beside him.

"There's no way I could. My spear would break!" Matthew laughed and picked up a simple wooden spear, and walked over to the boulder. Just before he moved, light gathered at his hand closest to the spear head and then was absorbed into his hands, stabbing forward and splitting a similarly sized rock in half effortlessly.

"You could have the simplest of spears, and still be able to split it. Now split that Boulder!" Matthew commanded. Nathan shrugged his shoulders as he walked up to the bolder, and with a hard push drove the tip of his spear forward only to have it spark off the surface of the rock and make Nathan stumble into it.

"Again!" Matthew called as Nathan caught himself and tried again, light gathering at his leading hand which then propelled the spear forwards, only to have the same result.

"Are you sure that he is using enough mana Matthew?" Dances asked, coming to their training ground to watch as his son tutored his first underling. Matthew stopped and thought for a moment. He hadn't even considered about whether or not the _amount_ of mana was the problem and not the lack of strength.

"I'm not really sure. Matt showed me how to focus the mana into something that would propel my spear, and when I did it I figured it was enough." Nathan answered. Dances looked over at Matthew and chuckled, remembering the days when he had to figure out on his own why his own power swing wasn't as strong as it could have been.

"Here, put your palm on mine and push the same amount of mana into my hand that you've been using for your attack." With a short burst, Nathan pushed his mana into Dances palm, making Dances sigh and nod as he felt the little flick of mana.

"That's what I feared. You need to be using far more mana then that: almost three times that amount if you want your strike to be as potent as it could be." Dances instructed. Nathan looked down at the ground with a little self disappointment in his eyes, not wanting to look Dances in the face after being told that he wasn't doing something right.

"Now try again." Dances encouraged as he stood back from the boulder. Nathan nodded with a sullen look on his face and braced himself, taking a moment to concentrate more mana around his spear. It took much more time then he thought to focus that much mana, but when the propelling shockwave hit the spear, it was driven so hard into the rock that Nathan nearly lost his forward balance as the spear went deep into the rock and split it down the middle. Nathan stood in awe for a moment, trying to figure out what it was that had just happened when Jack and Aeris came trotting up.

"Hey guys. Nathan!" Aeris called, running over to him and putting her arms around his neck as she ran up behind him, firmly kissing him on the cheek. Nathan smiled sadly, still mulling over the fact that something he had done wrong had been pointed out.

"Hey Matt. Dances with Balrog, I've been looking for you, I had a question for you about something that happened yesterday." Dances nodded to Matthew who initiated a small break for some drinks while Jack and Dances talked.

"Yes Jack, what is it?"

"As you were told when we returned from the Omega Sector, there's a new guy running with the Black Wings. He looked similar to Matthew, at least his hair did, and was really good with a sword, maybe even better than Matthew. But he used something that I haven't seen you teach to or seen Matthew use yet." Dances squinted his eyes and cocked his head to the side in bewilderment.

"What was this power that you speak of?" Dances asked, becoming intrigued.

"Well, he used two actually. The first one was a blue tiger rising from his back and roaring, the sound hitting me with some pretty gut wrenching force." Dances nodded as he thought.

"Yes, that is a very old warrior technique. In fact, not many warriors of this age even use it. It's called the Tiger's Roar. The technique that I _have_ taught Matthew is the Dragon's Roar which has a wide target area, able to kill in an area 20 feet wide or with Matthew at its center can cover and kill within a 100 foot circle. The Tiger's Roar is far more focused and takes some time to master since it is not as powerful as the Dragon's Roar nor is it as broad. But it does have enough force that it can be a helpful tool in stunning your enemy for a moment and allow you to run or prepare an attack. What was the second attack that you speak of?" Jack shuddered as he thought back to what he had seen; how that sheet of black power cut through everything in its path as though it were nothing.

"This guy, Dragon, called it Dark Seraphim. It was powerful, maybe even more powerful then Matthew's Solar Scythe." Dances thought about it for a moment and then shook his head.

"That is indeed sounds an extremely powerful attack. I remember hearing about something developed by the Seraphim; a race of winged beings that were often mistaken for the Nymph fairies of Orbis or sometimes called angels. They themselves used energy as a weapon, never actually having a solid weapon and eventually classifying six types of energy they called Nalcana. There was the Gold, Aqua, White, Patriot, and Cherry which we would later refer to as "Seraphim" in honor of them." Jack counted invisible numbers on his fingers, looking confused.

"Wait, that's only five. You said there were six." Dances nodded and sighed.

"Yes, there was a sixth. However to the Seraphim, the final Nalcana they named 'dark'. That Nalcana to them was the Black Magic of their race. Unlike Black Magic which corrupts the wielder, The Dark Seraphim was so powerful that there were only a select few with enough energy to actually wield it."

"So wait, were they born with it?" Jack asked.

"No. Each and every Seraphim would be tested once they became a teenager to see what their limit was: Gold being the weakest and Dark being the strongest. Each Nalcana, about the size and shape of a golf ball, was something closer to a parasite implanted into their body which would then feed off their energy to create any weapon they could think of, even able to make an arch detach and destroy a target in the distance. Each Seraphim had a different level of Nalcana they could successfully support with energy. Anything past that limit would kill them after one use."

"So how is dragon able to use it? It looked almost like an attack spell." Dances shook his head and pondered the thought. How was someone who was clearly not a Seraphim able to use such a devastating attack?

"I'm not sure how Dragon was able to wield such power. It is far beyond me."

"So what happened to the Seraphim? You talk as if they aren't around anymore." Jacked asked as Dances shrugged his shoulders.

"No one knows. One day, long before my time, they just vanished. Never to be heard from or seen again. Only their legacy of the Seraphim are all that is left of them. The only four located Seraphim are held within Zahkum's cave for safe keeping." Jack nodded his head thinking about possibilities when he heard an explosion coming from Jenny's training area.

"Sounds like Jenny and Antonia are getting a good day's training in." Jack laughed, watching another cloud billow into the air as more explosions erupted in the distance.

* * *

Jenny sprinted to a nearby tree, drawing an arrow from her quiver and loading it into the bow. Antonia drew her bomb arrow and let it fly at the tree that Jenny was hiding behind, but only caved in part of the trunk. Jenny rolled her shoulders and then turned from behind the tree pulling the arrow tight and letting it go, watching as it hissed into the tree just beside Antonia. Antonia began strafing, pulling arrows and firing them as fast as she could while Jenny followed, finally grabbing four arrows and shooting them through each of Antonia's pant legs and sleeves, pinning her to another tree.

"That's the fifth time today Antonia. You really should try to concentrate more on what you want to happen rather then what is happening right now. Remember, it takes time for the arrow to travel to its target, so firing _at _a moving target will only waste arrows. You need to fire ahead of your target, and then you will hit it dead on." Antonia pulled her arm free and began pulling the arrows out of her clothes

"You say that like it's something that I should already know how to do." Jenny, raised her eyebrow and wondered what she meant.

"Didn't Stacy teach you how to track a target?" Jenny asked as Antonia pulled the last arrow from her sleeve and shook her head.

"Not really. She just taught me mostly how to hit the bull's eye." Jenny rested her head in the palm of her hand.

"Oh my; it looks like you've got a little more training to do then."

"Well, why don't you two take a break for a minute and have an ice cream pop." Athena called, walking up to them with a light red popsicle in each hand. Antonia's face lit up with glee as she ran to her and eagerly took the ice-cream.

"Thank you Miss Athena!" she said as she sat down and began chomping away at the icy goodness.

"Really mom? I was just gonna go through one last drill before we stopped for lunch." Jenny huffed, taking the pop and bighting a chunk off. Jenny looked over the way that her mom was dressed: a blue blouse with a black vest, comfortable looking jeans and her boots. Jenny could tell that whatever it was that Eckhart was doing, it had slightly changed her. She wasn't as strict anymore; she was actually acting more and more like a normal person and not the powerful archer that she once was. Whether or not that was a good thing was still up for debate.

"So, are you going to hang out with Eckhart again today?" Jenny asked, juggling a piece of popsicle in her mouth as Athena shrugged and she pulled a leg up to her chest where she sat.

"We might. But we might also go out and do some training together, I really don't know since Eckhart and Oz went out on a scouting mission this morning." Jenny nodded until she felt a pair of hands slip around her waist.

"Hey Jen, how's my favorite archer doing?" Olsen asked, planting a kiss on her cheek and hugging her tighter for a moment before letting go and greeting Athena as Jack too came into the clearing, brushing aside a low tree branch.

"I thought I'd find you here. Hey Antonia. Looks like you got pinned again?" Jack laughed when he saw the holes in Antonia's shirt when she pursed her lips in a pout.

"No I didn't. Jenny just caught me off guard." Jack laughed and shook his head, apologizing soon after explaining that he was remember his first few days training under him mom.

"Hey have any of you seen Helen today?" He suddenly asked. All of them shook their heads making Jack put his chin in his palm and think: where would Helen go? Or rather, where would he go if _he _were a mage? Somewhere quiet and out of the way where not many people knew about so that he could meditate or practice his new found spells or skills; and then it hit him as he snapped his fingers.

"Ah! I know where to go, see ya guys. I don't know when I'll be back." he called as a rooster tail of dust followed after him.

"Well, that was sure interesting. Shall we go to lunch you three?" Athena asked. Jenny sighed, but agreed as they left the training grounds for the exquisite lunch that no doubt waited for them.

* * *

Eleanor panted and heaved, using her knees to support herself, while Dragon knelt on a single knee, using the Dume to support him as he tried to catch his breath. Dragonoir tried to pull himself up from the impression in the ground, but he was too dazed to do anything and promptly fell back to the ground, utterly exhausted as Maya came running back in to the house to see the simple furniture strewn everywhere in hundreds of splinters with Dragonoir resting in the center of the room.

"Master!" she called, running over to him and skidding to a stop on her knees, picking up his head not sure what else to do since she couldn't really see his face. Dragon took a few more hard breaths, then in one hard sigh picked up his Dume and slid it back into the sheath. Maya gritted her teeth as she looked up at them and set Dragonoir down, rushing at Eleanor with a simple attack spell he had taught her.

"HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO…" as she drove her hand forward, Eleanor caught her wrist and squeezed hard enough that the mana flow to her hand was cut off while Dragon drew the knife from his belt and held the cutting edge of it to her throat.

"Relax honey: save your strength for taking care of him, he's going to need it." Eleanor soothed before letting go of her wrist and hit Maya with the same attack spell, only much harder making the air leave her body with a huff as she dropped to the ground gasping for air.

"Pitiful." Dragon said as the two of them left the house, chips of the crushed New Crystals crunching under their shoes on their way to the skiff; now that those crystals had been dealt with, there wasn;t much to worry about.

"Mistress Eleanor. I must take a small detour into Mu Lung to gather a few herbs." Dragon said, kneeling to the ground. Eleanor looked back at him as she typed in the startup sequence.

"Would you like me to come and get you once you are done?" she asked, tossing her cloak over the diving seat and sensuously sitting down.

"That will not be necessary. I will meet you back at the Castle once I am finished." Dragon explained. Eleanor nodded and pushed a button with the tip of her black finger nail.

"Very well. I shall be waiting for you Dragon." Dragon nodded then turned as he headed for the hills of Mu Lung while Eleanor guided the skiff in the direction of the castle, smiling at her student's swift progression in becoming one of the finest Black Wing's officers they had come across yet. But there was still that air of mystery that she wanted to break through; questions that mounted in her head about him. Questions like: who was his sword master? How old was he? How was he so well gifted in mastering the magic that she taught him when he was a pure swordsman through and through? Who was his family? Why did he refuse the uniform of the Black Wings? So many questions that she wanted answered, and yet at the same time she didn't want to know anything about him. For in doing so, it may taint the attractive picture she held of him.

* * *

Checky came back with a bag holding sandwich in it for Claudine, who still sat furiously looking over the 'applications' of the people who wanted to join their movement against the Black Wings and make them leave Edelstein for good.

"Thanks Chuck, just set it on my desk, I'll get to it later." Claudine said, taking off her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment, the dim light from her desk lamp making her have to strain to see the papers. Checky just shook his head as he set the bag down and then walked around behind Claudine and put his arms around her as she sat.

"Checky, I can't work with you…"

"I'm sorry." Was all he said, making the two of them just stop and enjoy the feeling of each other close to one another. Claudine relaxed as Checky gently massaged her shoulders, the tension melting away as his strong mechanic's hands squeezed. Deren and Belle walked into her office just as Black Jack padded over to her and pushed his head against her, purring in his throat as Belle petted his head.

"Look, I'm sorry for earlier. I was just a bit frustrated. There've been a couple techniques that I haven't been able to master from the book." Belle said as Claudine smiled and shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. Just make something up. You never know, it could be quite powerful if you put your own spin on things." Claudine smiled and she closed her eyes and continued to relax until the small brass bell in the corner of the room rang.

"The informant!" Deren called as Claudine stood and walked out to the alley where they usually met.

"With oil and water I will create a new beginning…"

"…And with sweat and grease I will rise from the ashes." Came the voice of their informant, still invisible to them in the dark.

"So, what have you managed to learn?" Checky asked eagerly.

"Dragonoir had been working on making New Crystals, but these require that a Black Crystal be used as a base. Apparently it's a very old Method created in the days of the Sharenian that would destabilize the power of the True Crystals if they got close to the Guardians. They were destroyed and that threat is no longer there." Claudine nodded as she processed the information.

"Anything else that is of any importance?"

"Not anything that is of particular importance. But from what I've been able to watch, the Guardians are patching up their differences slowly. Also, I've heard that they will soon be taking out another of the Mana Drill Castles. As of yet the, Guardians don't have the strength to do it, but they will soon."

"Thank you informant. I know you must be antsy to get back so you aren't missed." Claudine said, drowned out by the sound of fluttering leather and boot steps as they walked back into their secret headquarters.

"So Checky, I've been meaning to ask, how are you going to pilot your new mecha exo-suit once it's done?" Checky smiled as he put his bear suit on again.

"I've been working on nanites that will allow my body to interface with the exo suit, essentially using my body as the driving force while the engine keeps it running. I've actually been working on getting other equipment into the suit for some other forms that will come in handy I think."

"Just please tell me you haven't been secretly putting those nanites in our food to better our abilities with the tech that you make for us." Claudine said, eyeing Checky from under her brows.

"No no no. I was never very good at manipulating mana; even as a kid. So nanites seem like the next logical choice." Claudine shrugged and gave him a kiss on the cheek as she went back to her desk.

"Just don't kill yourself babe!" she called as she walked into her office and closed the door.

* * *

Helen sat peacefully a little ways outside a cave near the boarders of Mu Lung, meditating and running through her head the spells that she had learned once she had received her new staff and armor as well as thinking through situations and battle strategies since she now understood her fellow guardians. She was dressed in a light shirt and a comfortable pair of jeans, which allowed her mind to be clear and calm. She pulled her knee up to her chest when she finished, looking around at the scenery around her reminded the first time that Jack and her had come here: it was cloudy then, just like it was right now and threatening to rain. She also remembered how Jack had run out and gotten some wood to make a small fire after the rain started coming down and how it was he who had pulled her away just before Tae Roon attacked when he was under Elde's control.

"Jack…" she sighed, when she heard a voice behind her on top of the cave.

"I thought I'd find you here." She turned around to find that Jack was standing there, loosening the straps of his Beias as he walked over and sat beside her.

"Jack, how did you…"

"I just had to think what I would do if I were a mage. And what do you know, I found you right where a lot of _us_ began." Helen chuckled and nodded.

"It's funny how we end up here, even under the same conditions, minus Tae Roon that is." Helen mused. Jack nodded as he walked back into the cave, kicking the burnt twigs and logs that he had gathered the first time they had come here, then knelt down and traced his finger over some invisible markings.

"Jack, why was it that I found you locking lips with Lillianne? You know that she's Matthew's girl."

"Truth be told, if you had gotten there a seconds sooner, she probably wouldn't have. It took me by surprise since the only other girl I had ever kissed was you." He said, pointing his thumb at her as she still sat with her back to him staring out to the forest. Jack stood and walked out into the trees for a moment and picked up a few sticks here and there making a small fire inside by taking his gun pushing his mana through it as fire gently leapt from the barrel and ignited the twigs.

"Come on back inside, it's gonna start raining soon."

"How can you tell?" Helen asked, looking up at the sky, but suddenly blinking as rain drops hit her face coming down in torrents soon after making Helen summon a fire spell to evaporate the rain around her to let her get to the cave without drenching her shirt making her physique visible, which she didn't doubt that Jack would like very much. But just as she was about to enter the cave, she could no longer keep up the powerful spell, tripped on a rock and fell face first into a puddle that had gathered at the front of the cave.

"_So much for not getting wet." _Helen thought to herself as she picked herself up and saw that Jack was holding his hand out to her.

"Just don't look too hard." She said as she reached for his hand as was brought to her feet, her shirt clinging to every curve, but the mud from the puddle obscuring what was beneath. Jack smiled and took off his vest, then took off his shirt and then donned his vest once again, handing the shirt to Helen.

"If you leave that shirt on too long you'll catch a cold." Jack smiled, holding out the shirt to her.

"And where am I going to change that you won't see?" Helen asked with a playful yet agitated tone. Jack shrugged.

"That's up to you. I could say that I would turn around and let you alone, but I doubt that you would trust me with that." Helen reached for the shirt and intentionally made her hand brush against his.

"Actually, I will trust you." Helen said with a smile on her face; the kind of smile that says 'if you look I will unleash all of hell on you'. Jack nodded and let go of the shirt, sitting down next to the fire with his back to her, fighting with all he had to keep from turning around.

"Alright, you can look back now." Helen called as he turned around and cracked his knuckles, watching as Helen brought over a rock and set her shirt on it next to the fire so that it would dry, sitting down across from him.

"I've been talking to Matthew, slowly settling our differences; he and Lillianne seems to think that there was some kind of outside influence to what happened. It makes sense to me since what happened is _SO _ far out of how we would normally act." Helen thought about it for a moment..

"That sounds like a sound theory. But it still doesn't take away the hurt."

"I know. But you can be sure that I'm not going to just up and leave you. I love you too much for that." Jack replied looking out to the front of the cave and watching the rain as it came down with no end when something looked as if it materialized from nowhere.

"Jack, Helen. What are you two doing here?" Eckhart asked as he took off his mask and brushed the rain out of his hair, making the ground in the cave become damp just as Oz appeared next to him.

"Eckhart! You could've at least waited for me! Oh, Hi you two! Ugh, this rain is not good for my hair!" She said as she pulled her hood off and twisted her long red hair which made a small dribble fall from the end.

"If you spent as much time meditating and training with your spells as you do curling your hair, I'm sure that you would be a far more powerful mage." Eckhart retorted as Oz stopped and looked up at him.

"Maybe if you spent less time wit Athena you'd be able to outrun Mihile." Oz laughed back as she tossed her hair behind her and shook the damp cloak from her shoulders while walking towards the fire to try and dry her prune-like fingers. As the rain continued to fall, it wasn't long until both Jack and Helen were asleep in each other's arms.

"Eckhart: I must admit your techniques have been slipping as of late. Are you sure Athena isn't becoming a distraction?" Oz asked as she stood again and came over to him as he leaned against the cave entrance.

"This is a new experience for me Oz. It's only been a week so give it some time; I'll figure out how to balance myself. As with the training I had received before, each new technique I learned my form would slip a bit but always come back once I learned how to balance myself." Oz nodded as she leaned her back against his shoulder, crossing her arms and chuckling.

"Stubborn as always, but I wouldn't expect anything less from my older brother. You always were a bit of an over achiever." Eckhart laughed and nudged her.

"Thanks sis. But seriously, you don't have to spend so much time on your hair." Oz laughed and nudged back before getting up and sitting next to the fire again, waiting for the rain to pass that seemed like it wasn't going to lift until morning.

* * *

Athena sat on her bed, looking through photos of when she was younger, and reliving memories of when she and Aran were kids, and then when they were young adults, often spending time with Aran and the heroes after their guard shift was over or when they were on leave. She often wondered if she and Aran could've had a relationship back then. She was somewhat heart broken when she first came to her teacher and queen Mercedes back then asking to be trained and Aran didn't recognize her when she was introduced to him, closing her eyes and thinking back to that day.

_"Your Majesty Mercedes? Are you the Archer trained by Minerva?" Helena asked timidly. The woman before her was the queen on her race, but her physique was so much more trim and fierce, not to mention that her twin crossbows gave her a stern, headmaster look._

_"Why yes I am. It's a pleasure to meet you Young One. And please, here I am simply Mercedes." she smiled startling Helena and disarmed her immediately, making her feel at ease._

_"If that's the case then, is it possible to be trained by you?" Mercedes' gentle smile made her feel welcomed at once._

_"I believe that would be an excellent idea. Why don't I introduce you to our leader, Aran." Helena's heart skipped a beat when she heard her old friend's name, trying desperately to keep down her excitement as she was led through the crowds to where a strong looking warrior with a huge halberd slung across his back stood, looking over a report and thanking the messenger._

_"Master Aran, we have our first recruit who wishes to be an archer, does this approve of you?" Aran looked up from his report and looked Helena straight in the eye. Helena's breath caught and her cheeks flushed red for a minute: Aran still had those piercing blue eyes that always felt like they could look through her._

_"An Archer? My, you've picked a strict teacher then. What is your name?" Aran asked holding out his hand to her. Helena's heart felt as if her heart had been crushed: he didn't remember who she was? She wanted so badly for him to remember, especially because, well because… on some level, she actually loved him, beyond just being the child hood friends. But despite that she pushed aside her stunned silence and small tears and took his hand._

_"My name is Athena, Athena Peirce." Aran tilted his head slightly and nodded to her._

_"Well Athena, welcome to the ranks of the heroes. Mercedes is one of the best archers I know, so you will be in good hands." _Athena opened her eyes and looked down to a picture of her looking back at the camera with such a happy and innocent smile on her face when she was a child.

"_Sometimes I envy you Helena._" She thought when she heard the sound of footsteps coming up to her door over the pouring rain outside. Quickly she closed the photo book and hid it under her bed just as a knock came at her door.

"Coming!" she called, tucking her hair behind her ear and acting natural as she came to the door where Aran stood, Maha attached to his back.

"Aran! What an unexpected surprise! Come in out of the rain, you must be soaked." Aran laughed for a moment and quickly brushed his hand back and forth through his short hair.

"Not really, damp maybe." He said.

"I'll get you a towel." Athena chuckled as she made her way to the closet in the back.

"That won't be necessary Helena." Athena froze, he grip faltering on the towel letting it fall to the ground. She tried to seem confused as she reached for the towel and looked up.

"Helena? Who's that?" She asked nonchalantly as she held out the towel to him.

"Helena, stop it. I know it's you." Athena reached for her ear, rolling the lobe between her fingers nervously.

"You must have me confused with another person…" she said as she went to the sink and reached for a cup.

"Helena!" Athena stopped and let her head drop to her chest, then turned back to Aran and picked her head up.

"Yes, it's me. Are you happy?" Aran smiled a bit as he nodded.

"Actually yes: When you first showed up with Mercedes, you looked familiar, but you had changed so much in the years that I hadn't seen you that I wasn't sure if it was you or not. So when you introduced yourself as Athena, it threw me off saying that you were just someone who looked like you. But as I watched you back then and even now, I had my doubts, finally confirming who I thought you really were." Athena shook her head and crossed her arms, leaning against the sink and laughing.

"So what gave it away?" She asked.

"You always used to pull at your ear when you were nervous. That and you crossed your legs so many times I thought you'd start a fire." Athena laughed hard as Aran joined her, the two of them talking long into the night, reliving stories and events of their young life, even telling things that neither one of them knew about each other.

* * *

The Black Mage rolled his neck which popped a few times as Eleanor came gliding in, followed by a small robot with a small red eye.

"Master Mage, The final tests of the machines are complete. Everything should go smoothly." The Mage's eyes smiled and nodded to the machine which returned to the Gauntlet Room where the infamous Infinity Gauntlet waited.

"Now that we've taken care of Dragoinoir's little experiment, I don't think that we need to worry about him anymore." Eleanor said smoothly as she sat down across The Mage's legs. He shook his head with slow purpose while a multitude of whispers filled the air around them, holding up his hand as a cloud of aura sat on his palm with the image of the fake crystals.

"There is no need to worry: I have sent a few Crimson and Geist out looking for the fakes. Meanwhile, a solid lead on the last Crystal Husk, the Pink Quartz husk has arisen." Eleanor said as she raised her eyebrows and tilted her head slightly. The eyes of The Mage narrowed as he smiled his approval.

"It's somewhere in the Nihal Desert. However it seems as if the person or creature it is moving with is unaware of what they have found. Once it has been found, all that will be left to do is wait for the children to fully train the power they have and it will be yours for the taking." Eleanor continued while The Mage breathed a long, content ethereal sigh, holding his hand out as a goblet with Eleanor's mana potion hovered to his hand.


End file.
